CRYSTAL DRAGONS
by OokamiLover19
Summary: A single child survives the destruction of her village in the Water Nation. Sarutobi take her in as she grows up and becomes a Shinobi. After the Chunin exams, how will Ryuu react with her father figure is killed by Orochimaru? What will she do when she is sent to Amegakure on a mission and runs into the Akatsuki?
1. Chapter 1

hEY rEADERS! i AM BACK WITH ANOTHER STORY! sORRY i KEEP CREATING MORE STORIES AND NEVER FINISHING OLD ONES. tHEY WILL GET FINISHED AT SOME POINT, i AM SLOWLY WORKING ON THEM. pLEASE ENJOY THE NEW STORY. iNSPIRATION CAME FROM READING STORIES THAT WERE NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE MAIN TEAMS LIKE THE LEAF TEAMS AND SAND, BUT FOCUS MORE ON THE OUTER RINGS OF THE nARUTOVERSE.

pLEASE rEAD AND rEVIEW!

_**Thoughts**_

_Memories_

**pREFACE**:

"Oh my gawd, he's so cute!" Eleven year old Anko squealed as she sat next to Kurenai and Asuma in the academy. "Why does he have to be so mysterious with that mask? What does he have to hide?"

"Leave him alone Anko, he just lost his father. He doesn't have anyone left," Kurenai whispered as the young silver haired Kakashi Hatake walked past them to the back of the room.

"He must be so alone now, but I could fix that..."

"Give it up Anko, he'll just turn you down again," Shikaku Nara yawned as he propped his feet on the desk as eye sat next to Choza Akimiki and Inoichi Yamanaka. "Let him be."

"You're so mean Nara!" Anko huffed, her face turning red.

"No, just honest," he smirked.

"Why you...?!"

"Settle down everyone," their teacher, Riku entered the room with her arm around an unfamiliar girl that had crimson hair darker than blood and her left arm in a sling and tied to her chest as if broken. "Anko, you okay? You look like you have a fever?"

"I'm fine Riku sensei," Anko mumbled getting a couple snickers from her classmates.

"Sensei, who is that with you?" Choza asked.

"This is Ryuu. She was from the water country. She was brought here since she has no one left to care for her," the older woman smiled, light brown hair pulled back into a single ponytail. "She is our newest student at the academy."

"Ryo as in money?" Asuma asked and Choza giggled quietly as he munched on some chips.

"Ryuu as in dragon," the girl replied and it became silent. She lifted her head, revealing eyes the color amethyst gems would envy. The purple was deep and hypnotic.

"Ryuu, why don't you go sit next to Kakashi in the back corner there?" She smiled as she pushed the young girl towards the aisle.

"Okay," she shrugged and walked down the aisle. Anko glared at her and as her amethyst eyes glanced at her she just stared blankly back before finally getting to the back and sat down in a single fluid motion smoother than a feline's in the seat besides the masked boy.

"Such swift grace," Rin whispered awed as she sat next a sleeping Obito Uchiha.

"Rin please wake up your classmate so we can begin class," Riku smiled as she walked to the center of the room.

"Yes Sensei," Rin smiled back before poking Obito's cheek and he almost jumped out of his seat. "Time for class Obito."

"Sorry Sensei," the Uchiha blushed as he adjusted the goggles on his head.

The brown haired woman just shook his her head with a laugh before clearing her throat. "Alright, so who has perfected their clone Justus yet?"

"You barely taught us last week!" Anko growled. "How are we supposed to learn that fast?"

"Well Anko, if you spent less time focused on boys and more on your training, you could easily have mastered it by now," Asuma laughed.

"Wait, does the new girl even know ninjutsu?" Inoichi frowned.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

The class turned to look at the crimson haired girl and she smirked as she put a single finger on her lips as if telling everyone to be quiet and there was a poof as she grinned and several clones of her were around the room and she sat there as if it was nothing.

"Whoa! Single hand combination?!" Obito gasped. "Isn't that like Jounin level?"

"I can't exactly use my left arm right now," Ryuu spoke before there was a shatter of glass and all her clones exploded into crystal before disappearing and the crystal shards disappeared as well in a poof of smoke.

"What happened?" Kurenai asked.

"That's really none of your concern, is it?" She whispered coldly, narrowing her amethyst eyes as their teacher cleared her throat.

"Good job Ryuu. Alright who else thinks they have perfected their jutsu?"

* * *

Sarutobi stood in the hallway outside the teacher's lounge with the two Leaf councilors, Riku and Minato. It was the end of the day and most of the students had left already except one. Ryuu was still sitting in the classroom waiting to be told what to do and where she was going to stay.

"They shattered into crystal? Are you positive?" Sarutobi asked

"Yes, the clones shattered into crystal before disappearing themselves," Riku spoke quietly.

"Besides that fact, the fact that she didn't do any jutsu signs to summon them is astounding," Minato commented, running a hand through his spikes blond hair.

"Is the child a threat?" The councilor woman asked, eyes narrowed.

"I don't think so, she seemed to want to stay and she did everything she was told to do," Riku smiled. "She just seems a little scared after seeing her village get destroyed like those by rogue Nin."

"Where is she going to stay?" Minato asked. "My wife, Kushina and I would take her in..."

"She'll stay with me," Sarutobi smiled. "Besides, you already have your hands full with Kushina being pregnant."

"She's only a couple months in," Minato smiled.

"That may be but she is already a hellion being an Uzamaki and in the early stages of her pregnancy. She may scare her off," Sarutobi laughed and Minato chuckled in agreement. "Besides, if she starts to trusts me, then we'll gain more information about who she is."

"Where is the child?" The councilor man asked coolly.

"She's still in the class room," Riku replied. "She saw you come in and knew it would be better to wait than to try finding her way to the tower."

"Good."

"Goodnight lord Hokage, Riku, and Minato. We take our leave." The two councilors left the building as the three remaining walked to the classroom and Riku opened the door.

"Ryuu, it's time to go," she spoke calmly with a smile.

"Yes ma'am." She got up quietly and came out of the room and looked at her superiors. "Hello."

"Ryuu, you're going to be staying with the Hokage," Riku smiled as she put an arm around the young girl gently.

"Okay," she spoke as she pulled her teacher's arm away from her shoulder. "It still hurts."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Riku gasped and pulled her arm away.

"It's okay."

"Are you hungry young Ryuu?" Sarutobi smiled as the four of them walked out of the academy and down the road.

"A little but I'm supposed to go over to the hospital to get my arm checked. Doctor Yuza wanted me to come in right after school got out but I had to wait for you."

"We can have her come to my home. Hospitals are such dreary places."

"Okay."

"Dinner should be ready by the time we get home. See you two later."

"Have a good night Lord Hokage," Minato and Riku smiled before going their separate ways.

Sarutobi watched the girl as she looked around the village as they walked down the main road. She looked amazed at the size and the different culture than what she had in her former village. It really had been a bad night in the Water nation when that village had been destroyed and Leaf Nin had been close enough to feel the heat of the fires that rogue Nin started to burn the village down, killing everyone but she survived.

At the Hokage residence, Sarutobi sent one of his servants to bring Ryuu's doctor to the house as they went in and got ready for dinner. The servants had made chicken and dumpling soup which Ryuu devoured as soon as she was sitting at the table and wanted more, making Sarutobi laugh. Dinner was enjoyable, Ryuu talked about different events that were always held throughout the year and delicacies from her village. Soon Ryuu's doctor arrived and they went into the living room while the servants cleaned up dinner.

"Any pain while at the academy?" Dr. Yuza asked as she undid the sling and pulled the bandages off carefully, blood spotting in many places on her upper arm.

"Only some mild discomfort," Ryuu replied as she sat stiffly.

As the last of the bandages came off, Sarutobi had to grimace. Her upper arm was burned badly with a cut running through the middle of it and her forearm was a discolored purple and blue. Dr. Yuza ran her chakra along her whole arm and smiled.

"Good news is the broken bones didn't shift back out. The bad news is that stab wound is not looking any better than it did the other day. Are you sure you don't want me to heal it immediately? You know I can do it Ryuu..."

"Just because we have the ability to rush things because of chakra doesn't mean we always have to use it," Ryuu smiled. "Yes it will take time, probably a couple weeks, but that's okay."

"You're wise for being so young," Sarutobi commented from his seat across from her and Yuza.

"That was one thing they focused on for my village. Don't rush everything otherwise you'll miss things or it will kill you. Too many shinobi do just the opposite."

"Can I at least heal you enough that your bones won't shift back out if place?"

"That's fine."

"How old are you Ryuu?" Sarutobi asked as he watched her.

"I'll be nine this winter," she replied, not a hint of emotion on her face.

"So mature for being so young..."

"I started ninja training as soon as I could walk," the child shrugged as Yuza rewrapped her arm and put it back in the sling. "Thank you Dr. Yuza."

"If you start feeling more pain, notify me immediately and I'll get you a stronger dose of pain killers."

"I will."

"I'll see you later then. Have a good night, you too Lord Hokage," Yuza smiled before leaving.

"What room will I be staying in?" Ryuu asked as she got to her feet and stretched her unbound arm above her head.

"This way." Sarutobi got to his feet and led the way down the hall but frowned in thought.**_ 'How did she manage to survive with only her arm injured? According to ANBU, the rogue Nin were slaughtering everybody as if looking for something... Or someone... Is she what they were after? Why is she important to them?'_ **They went up the stairs and he opened the door to a spare room that was down the hall from his. "This will be your room Ryuu. If you need anything, I'm just down the hall."

"Thank you Lord Hokage," she smiled a little before walking into the room and looked around.

"Goodnight young Ryuu."

"Night sir."

Sarutobi smiled as he closed her door and headed down the hall. _**'I hope no danger falls on her if she is special. This crystal ability with her clones... Only a few from the Water Nation could do it... I hate being old, I cannot remember the clan for the life of me...'**_ He entered his room and sat down at his desk and opened the book he read every night, history of the five nations.

* * *

Ryuu pulled off her shoes and laid down on the giant bed, carefully propping her injured arm up on some pillows and stared at the ceiling. It had been a couple days for her. Three days ago she had woken up in the Konohagakure hospital to people tending to her. Then this morning she had gotten released, only to be enrolled in the local school immediately once they realized she was of the same skill level as the soon-to-be genin she was in class with.

As she closed her eyes, sleep claimed her and took her to her last memories before she found herself in the hospital:

_"Momma why is the village turning red?" Ryuu asked as she looked out her bedroom window. "Looks like fire..."_

_"Tati, they're here!" Her papa came in, covered in sweat as if he had been running. "They're killing everyone looking for her."_

_"What are we going to do?" Her mother gasped holding Ryuu a little too tightly._

_"She has to hide..."_

_"What's going on?" Ryuu frowned struggling out of her mother's suffocating grip._

_"Ryuu, remember when you were younger and bad guys came after you because of your ability and took you away? More have come after you. You must run and hide in the woods. Do not hesitate to hurt anyone trying to take you away," her father spoke as he pulled her and Tati to their feet._

_"But what about you?" Ryuu shook with fear as she wrapped her arms around herself._

_"We are going to make sure that they don't get you," her momma smiled. "Then we'll come for you."_

_"They'll kill you! Just like they are doing to everyone else! Why is it me that they are after?! Why am I so goddamn important?!" Her parents looked at Ryuu appalled at her language as she fell to her knees and cried. "You two are important to me, please don't leave me alone."_

_"Ryuu..."_

_"A momma and a papa are not supposed to leave their child! That's why you're parents not some childless family...!"_

_"Silence!" Ryuu flinched and looked up at her papa in shock. He had never yelled at her. "Keeping you safe is our highest priority as your parents. You know that as soon as your ability revealed itself, people would be after you, to use you and turn you into a weapon."_

_"If I'm fought over so goddamn much, then just kill me! I'm tired of always having to hide because of this fucking ability that I was born with! Or let me harness the full power of it so I can protect those I love!"_

_"It is too dangerous right now, your body would not last under the strain. We'll leave a clone with you so you're not alone but we must protect you from being captured."_

_Ryuu huffed, knowing that she would not win this argument and grabbed her coat and pulled it on. Both her parents summoned a clone and the three of them ran out the back door and into the forest. Screams of villages echoed around Ryuu and she tried to not look back, knowing that all her friends and their families would not make it. The clones of her parents made small talk but she ignored half of it until after ten minutes of running, the clones disappeared with now warning._

_Ryuu skidded to a stop in the tree she was in and looked back at the burning village. Heat boiled in her blood and she growled as she dashed back to the village. The clones had disappeared way too soon for her parents to have made it out. She jumped over burning rooftops towards the most commotion was and froze, seeing both her parents against the water fountain, bleeding into the once pure water. She jumped down in front of her parents as let out a heart-retching scream before looking around, anger fueling her every move._

_"You bastards!" She screamed, as she looked around and waited for them to come back. "I'm the one you want!"_

_"So it is," A voice behind her laughed before she felt a foot in her back and she was thrown to the ground and a blade was shoved into her upper arm. "Not so tough now, are you kid?"_

_"You killed them...!" She snapped._

_"Look guys we got ourselves a rabid dog," the man laughed as several more appeared. "We have killed everyone one here. You're the last one and turned out to be the weapon we came for."_

_"I am a weapon for no one! No one uses me ever!"_

_"Silence you brat!" A larger man snapped and slammed his foot down on her forearm. She cried out as she felt her bones give out with a sickly crunch. "That's better."_

_"Don't kill her, you idiot! Boss wanted her still in full working condition!"_

_"You're the one who shoved a sword in her arm," he shrugged._

_"You broke her fucking arm! She can't use that hand now for her jutsu boss wants!"_

_"She'll heal."_

_"I'm going to kill you," Ryuu muttered feeling her anger overflow past her pain._

_"What was that?" The first man growled kicking her back._

_"You are all going to fucking die!" She screamed as amethyst crystal surrounded the ground around her and the sword in her arm turned to crystal before shattering and she got to her feet painfully._

_"You little Runt, that was my best sword!"_

_"Die!" She screamed as the crystal on the ground expanded before spikes shot up under each man, insta-killing them except the first guy who seemed to be in charge. Two large spikes went through his arms and lifted him off the ground. "You all are stupid to think I need my hands for anything. Now you will die, just like them!"_

_She summoned a spike and shoved it into his chest as darkness blinked before her and she fell to the ground, her injured arm landing in a fire as she passed out._

"Ahhhh!" Ryuu bolted into a sitting position breathing hard and looked around panicked.

"Ryuu, what's wrong?" The old man Hokage ran into the room and looked around worried. "What happened?"

"B-bad memory," she sagged against the pillows and tried to calm her breathing.

"Want to talk about it? I already know about your crystal abilities, young one, you do not need to be afraid here. No one will harm you here."

"Why do people want people like me with abilities that are different?"

"They are greedy people who crave power, even if it is not their own and will go to no end to try and obtain that power. Same reason why the Jinchuuriki are being hunted down," Sarutobi replied as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Why do you not crave my power? I don't even know the full amount of it..."

"I do not want power, I want to protect people, that's why I became a Hokage. We have a Jinchuuriki in the village, you met her husband Minato. Yes she has the power to destroy a village in one hit and you may too, but you do not wish to destroy. You want to protect others from being hurt. To protect those who try to protect you from the bad people out there and cannot succeed. That is where the strength of power matters, not to harm, but to save."

"I guess," Ryuu frowned as she looked at her hands.

"Your parents would have been proud of you, young one. They tried to protect you during that attack on your village, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but they didn't last long. I had been running away with one of their clones but when those disappeared I went back and lost control after they broke my arm and stabbed a blade through my upper arm. I don't know what happened, I panicked... I don't want to be a prisoner again..." She sobbed.

"You're safe here," Sarutobi whispered as he pulled her into his lap and held her close. "You have me and those I command to keep you safe. When you are put on a team at the academy, they will protect you as well. No one will hurt you ever again."

"Thank... you..." She yawned as she started to fall asleep again. "Thank you papa..."

Sarutobi blinked in surprise and looked down at her as she slept in his arms with drying tears glistening on her cheeks_**. 'She had already been a prisoner once as a child? She definitely has had a hard life. What clan is this child from?'**_


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing from Naruto.

Please read and review

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**_Thoughts_**

_Memories_

cHAPTER oNE:

"God, I hate her," Anko grumbled as she walked into the class room with Kurenai and Asuma. "Why does she get to sit by him and no one else does?"

Ryuu was already in the back of the class room, with her feet propped up on the table and a book in her lap. Her long red hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and her bangs hid her amethyst eyes. She wore simple black leggings tucked into over the knee boots while she wore a white fishnet shirt under a purple tank top. On the back of her chair was a simple white jacket with the Leaf Symbol on the back.

"Who in the world bought her those clothes…?"

"She lives with the Hokage," Rin replied as she sat behind Anko.

"Apparently, she is someone of great importance, but no one will say anything else," Obito muttered. "It's like no one knows who she really is…"

"I can hear you," a small voice reached them and the five of them turned around and saw amethyst eyes staring at them from above her books. "I am no one of importance, just a survivor."

"Why don't you go home?"

"My home was burned to the ground and my whole village murdered, there is nothing for me to back to," she spoke, her face not showing any emotion. The students who heard her became quiet and stopped their gossiping, apart from Anko.

"I still don't see why she gets to sit back there by him…"

"Maybe it's because Riku sensei knows I will be the only one who does not attack the kid like some love sick stalker. Besides, he isn't even that cute," she shrugged as she went back to her book.

"Why you…!"

"My bad, you're not a love-sick stalker, you're just a psychotic little…"

"We all know what she is, no need to say mean things," Choza yawned as he entered the room. "Hey Ryuu, do you like chips?"

"I'm alright, Lord Hokage refused to let me out of the house until I ate the large breakfast his servants made," Ryuu smiled. "What's your name?"

"I'm Choza Akimiki, lazy here is Shikaku Nara, and blonde is Inoichi Yamanaka," he smiled as the three of them sat at the table right in front of her.

"Ryuu Kurisutaru, nice to meet people who don't gossip like love-struck idiots," she smiled as she shifted in her seat, keeping her feet on the table.

"You'll get in trouble for that," the dark haired love-struck girl muttered as she sat in her seat.

"What's your point? Shall I find your object of fascination and tell him things you say about him when he's not in hearing range?"

"Kakashi is not an object of fascination!" the brown haired girl with two purple rectangles on her cheeks hissed.

"Oh? You sure treat the poor kid like one. Like he's on a golden patter just for you to look at and stalk," Ryuu frowned, just as the silver-haired boy entered the room. "Speak of the devil…"

"Don't…!" Both girls begged and Ryuu started laughing.

"You're not my mother, so do not boss me around or I'll turn it back on you," Ryuu smirked as Kakashi sat next to her. "Hi comrade, how are you this morning?"

"What?" the boy turned to look at her and she could see the frown on his face.

"How are you?"

"Fine," he muttered before pulling out a book of his own.

"It's the lazy corner," Choza chuckled as Shikaku propped his feet on his desk and closed his eyes.

"You'll definitely fit in with Choza and Shikaku," Inoichi smirked.

"At least I'll fit in somewhere," Ryuu mumbled quietly to herself as she went back to her book, not seeing the confused glance from the boy next to her.

"Good morning class, how is everyone today?" Riku came in and Ryuu pulled her feet off the table but didn't move from her book as she gingerly shifted her bound arm. Choruses of 'okay' and 'good' echoed around the room followed by the snore of the goggle headed kid as he had his face flat on the table. "Not again..."

"I got it," Rin replied with a sigh as she shook him awake. "Should put him in the lazy corner..."

"But then half the room would be sleeping," Choza laughed. "Riku-sensei wouldn't like that."

"Everyone is seated where it is most convenient to make sure everyone listens. Now today's lesson..."

The day went by fast and Ryuu was the first one to disappear from the academy as the bell rung. Sarutobi said that an ANBU would be nearby at all times incase she was lost or in danger, but always out of sight. She had free reign of wandering the village as long as she came back to the manor by dinner time so that gave her three hours after school to do nothing. Finally, she found herself at a small bridge over a river.

"Your a weird one," someone mumbled and she turned around and saw her classmate Kakashi walk onto the bridge, hands in his pockets.

"I don't understand," she frowned as she leaned against the railing.

"Saying you'll finally fit in somewhere. Didn't you fit in at home?"

"I was just too different," she shrugged as she turned around and looked at the river.

"What element base do you have?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a lightning user, sleeper in class is a fire user. What are you?"

"I don't have one," she spoke darkly. A kid like him didn't need to know her abilities. It got people in trouble, got them hurt. "I know basic jutsus and focus more on taijutau."

"Fight me." His eyes narrowed.

"No, leave me alone," Ryuu muttered, walking past the boy.

"You scared?" He growled back.

"No..."

"Then don't run away..." He grabbed her arm but she suddenly disappeared in a shatter of crystal. "You're a coward!"

Suddenly he felt something on his ankle and looked down and saw her head in the ground. She pulled and he was suddenly trapped in the ground up to his neck. "Nobody calls me a coward."

He watched as she walked away and tried to move but didn't even get an inch. "Damn it..."

"Looks like you're in a bind." He looked up and saw a boy from his class that he couldn't remember his name. "I'm Iruka."

"Get me out of here!" Kakashi growled.

"Only if you stop being mean to me and come have dinner with my family tonight," he grinned.

"Fine," Kakashi sighed and Iruka broke the dirt and helped pull him out.

"Who trapped you there anyway?"

"The new girl. I accused her of being coward because she refused to fight me," Kakashi sighed as he brushed off all the dirt and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Wow," Iruka coughed, hiding his laugh poorly.

"I'll get her back."

"You sure you should provoke her, especially when she lives with the Hokage?"

"She humiliated me..."

"Maybe she couldn't fight, she still has that injured arm and the Hokage has ANBU following her. If she started a fight, they would probably intervene," Iruka shrugged as they walked down the street.

"Whatever."

"Where are you going? The deal was to have dinner with my family since I helped you out," Iruka called when he started to walk away. Kakashi sighed but turned and followed him.

Ryuu watched the two boys walk away and laughed quietly as she stood on the roof. The dark haired boy, Iruka, had a point. Even if she could fight, which she couldn't because her arm, the masked man watching from a distance would have intervened. She was still new to the village. No one knew if they could trust her enough yet, and she didn't know if she should be trusted. She didn't know the extent of her abilities and somebody was always coming after her.

* * *

"You want me to do what?" Ryuu gasped in horror. It had been several weeks since she had started at the academy and Lord Hokage had her start training with Minato Namikaze and seeing her current skill level from what she learned in the Water Nation.

"Hit me with your strongest Kekkei Genkai abilities."

"No, no way in hell," she growled as she rubbed her recently healed arm. She had finally gave in to having Dr. Yuza heal the last of her injuries because she had been starting to get restless and wanted to be able to start training again.

"If you fear your crystal abilities then they will control you. We are trying to help you but in order to do so, we must know the extent to your abilities," Minato responded calmly. They were in a private dojo within the ANBU headquarters. "If you want to be able to protect yourself from enemies, you must train yourself."

"I don't know my limits. I've never used it willingly, I could hurt you," she whispered, wringing her hands. "The only times I used it was when I was in danger and enemies were trying to get to me.

"I'll stop you before you do something like that," Minato smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Now, do not hold back. Use what feels natural to you. The ANBU around the room will be targeting different aspects, like movement and chakra, in case you do a move you are not aware of and know how to control it when you start training more with it. Every one here are trying to help you."

"Fine," Ryuu frowned as she let go of her hands and took a deep breath as she looked around the room and counted the dozen of ANBU and Hokage looking through a window with his councilors.

Minato took several steps back as he felt an aura mix with anger and fear appear around her. Her stance was slouched, shoulders hunched slightly and head bowed; her hands though were slightly away from her body and fingers spread apart.

"Remember, do not let it control you. Overcome your fear," Minato reminded her as he felt fear spike in the aura around her.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'm ready."

She lifted her head and her eyes seemed to be glowing slightly as a dragon mark appeared on her face. The wings spread across her brow down the sides of her face to her cheeks, while its head was centered on her brow as the tail swirled down her nose.

She lunged at him suddenly and he could barely block her attack and staggered back from the force. He threw a punch at her and she jumped back then did a single hand sign before she tossed a crystal orb towards him. He jumped to the side to dodge it and it hit the wall. He glanced at it and frowned, seeing it start to spread and the two ANBU near it stepped away but it seemed to react and lunged at them and encased them both in crystal.

"What the...?" one of the ANBU appeared next to the two encased ANBU and touched the crystal and it spread across his hand.

"Don't move," another ANBU called. "There is chakra in it and it reacts to the movement."

"What about Tiger and Raven?" the ANBU that had his hand trapped asked, stopping his struggles.

"Their vitals are normal. Focus on the child, her chakra is strong."

Minato dodged several more crystal orbs that she tossed and when it hit the wall, it spread across the wall, but didn't jump to the shinobi as they remained still. She stopped throwing orbs and did a couple more signs before putting both hands flat on the ground, a summoning circle appearing around her before spikes appeared all around the room and she disappeared behind one of them.

"Where is she?" Bird called.

"Behind you Minato!"

He spun around and saw her as she dashed around the spikes with a foreign weapon in her hands. From what he could see, it was two weapons and a chain, but then she disappeared before he could get more detail off the weapons. He closed his eyes and heard quiet movements, almost silent, as he heard her dash around the room. A clink of chain to his left made him bring up his kunai as he opened his eyes and saw a scythe with two blades. The weapon in her other hand was a scythe as well. Her eyes held slight amusement as she jumped back and disappeared again.

"When you focus, you are good on stealth, ranged attacks as well as close attacks. That is good, now show me your weapon's abilities," Minato called. There was a cracking of glass before all the crystal exploded before disappearing in a puff of smoke and she stood in a defensive stance. Her left leg was back and bent, while her left hand held a scythe by the chain behind her and spinning it slowly while her right leg was bent just slightly in front of her and she gripped the other scythe by it's handle that was as long as her full arm.

"You will probably want a longer blade, kunai do not have much range for defense or attack," her voice was quiet as her eyes became blank before tossing her left scythe spinning towards him.

He threw his kunai at the blade and knocked it back and it hit the ground before she pulled on the chain and caught it and sent her right scythe at him, blade tip straight at him. He blocked it with another kunai before jumping back and grabbing a katana from one of the ANBU and lunged at her while she pulled back her scythe and she blocked it, her left scythe propped against her forearm to brace herself against the attack. She pushed back before coming at him head on, using both weapons almost equally in movement and strength, also using the chain to block attacks. This went on for several minutes before a clapping made them stop as she blocked another attack. Her head spun to the noise and all crystal around the room disappeared, releasing the three ANBU and her weapons disappeared. The dragon marking on her brow faded away and she stumbled into one of the ANBU before falling to her knees.

"Ryuu...?" Minato dashed to her and helped her stand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I think so..." she groaned and rubbed her head.

"Her chakra has been depleted," Bird ANBU spoke as he helped Tiger stand as Cat helped Raven, both shaking violently and covered in a cold sweat. "What did you do to them?"

"What..." she frowned and her eyes dashed around the room. "What happened to them...? What did I do...?"

"Your crystal orbs that you started with," Minato replied. "When they hit the walls, they started to spread and when one of the men moved, it attacked them and encased them completely in crystal. It is a sensitive jutsu."

"They were encased in the crystal...?" She started to panic and looking around frantically as tears fell down her face. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."

"What do you mean? What did your jutsu do?" Minato frowned.

"My papa told me that it is a trigger orb... I didn't believe him... It awakens the worse fears in people... with genjutsu..." she covered her face with her hands and started to shake. "I'm sorry..."

"Take them over to Ibiki and have him work with them," Sarutobi ordered. "Minato, lets take her back to the manor."

"Yes sir," Minato nodded and pulled the crying child into his arms and followed the third hokakge out of the training rooms and out into the village.

By the time they reached Sarutobi's manor, Ryuu had fallen asleep from her exertion of chakra and her tears had finally dried. Minato followed Sarutobi into the room that she had been given and laid her on the bed and pulled off her sandals. Then the two adults left the room and sat down in the living room as one of Sarutobi's servants brought in some tea.

"Minato, you have been a great student and have become an amazing shinobi," Sarutobi smiled as he took a sip of his tea.

"Sir?" Minato frowned at the sudden conversation topic.

"I'm old and the councilors are wanting to look for the next Hokage," he sighed and set his tea on the small table besides him before looking at his student seriously. "I wish you to be my successor and the councilors have agreed that your would be the best choice."

"But sir... Kushina... With her being pregnant..."

"I know, but the councilors have given me two weeks to finish my duties then the next Hokage will be announced," Sarutobi sighed. "I will help as much as I am allowed to help you adjust."

"I... I am honored Sarutobi Sensei," Minato bowed his head. "What about the team that you had told me that I would be training?"

"You will still train them, but when it comes time for missions outside the village, an ANBU or myself will go with which genin are chosen for your team."

"Is Ryuu being put on a team as well? She seems well trained already for being younger than those in the academy."

"That is still to be seen, but I would believe so. She is smart and well trained for not knowing how to fully control her abilities. She is still under ANBU surveillance for safety for the village as for herself. We do not know what happened in her village to have her come into our laps, nor do we know if she is what those ninja were after. Her Kekkei Genkai is most definitely not a common one, or heard of other than the history books."

"What clan is she from?"

"I don't know. She hasn't spoken her surname, but then again no one has asked."

"Kurisutaru..." Minato and Sarutobi jumped and turned in their seats to see Ryuu rubbing her eyes as she stood in the doorway. "Kurisutaru is name of my clan and surname. I do not want to be a threat to people, but so many out there fear me because of my clan's Kekkei Genkai. Even my mother and father feared me using my abilites because of other's fear."

"Kurisutaru... The crystal clan of the Water Nation."

"I never heard of them being feared by other's," Minato frowned.

"Depending on the color of the Kekkei Genkai, the user's power varies. Most common color was a white or an ice blue..."

"But if a child's Kekkei Genkai becomes a dark purple, it is said that the child has been possessed by a demon," Ryuu finished quietly. "I've read up on my clan too, well, what others think my clan has become, but they are wrong. I am not some demon possessed shinobi..."

"Come sit with us," Sarutobi smiled and opened his arms to her and she crawled on his seat and curled up inside his arms as he wrapped them around her. "The histories are wrong. There are no demons possessing people. There are only shinobi born or given amazing abilities. Whether those around these shinobi chose to try and understand or fear is their choice."

"Jinchuuriki are the same way," Minato replied calmly. "As my wife grew up, she was a target for being kidnapped and feared because of the bijuu sealed inside of her."

"How has she become untargeted?" Ryuu frowned.

"People in this village have come to accept her and protect her everyday."

"I wish that I can have that one day." Ryuu yawned again and closed her eyes as she laid her head against Sarutobi's arm.

"You will one day young Ryuu," Sarutobi smiled. "I'll make sure of that."

"Thank you papa," she murmured quietly before falling asleep.

"She has adjusted well with you," Minato smirked before getting to his feet. "I better go tell Kushina the news."

"Tell her I say hi," Sarutobi smiled. "I would like to see you first thing in the morning though."

"Yes sir. Take care."

"Night Minato," Sarutobi replied quietly as he pulled Ryuu into his arms and carried her back to her room and laid her on the bed before retiring to his own room for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Ohayo Readers, I'm back with another chapter. I know it's been a while, but I do know where I want to take this story, its just getting translating it from my mind to paper. A few things, if you haven't noticed, I'm not keeping up withe NarutoVerse timeline with several things. I'll try for the most part to try and keep timelines and facts close, but for other things within my story, sorry. ^_^

Please Read and Review.

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The next few months, Minato and Sarutobi pushed Ryuu's abilities while teaching her to better control her crystal Kekkei Genkai. As she progressed, they noticed that the dragon marking on her brow slowly started to disappear as she became less afraid of herself. At the academy, she started becoming friends with the students and hung out more with Choza, Shikaku, Inoichi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Iruka. She stayed away from Anko and Rin because they annoyed her just because she sat next to Kakashi.

Graduation was coming up at the academy and Ryuu worried about what team she would be put on, if she was even put on a team. No matter how teams were placed, there would be one odd man out or one team that would get a fourth student. She was getting training outside of the academy and wondered if she would just be kept getting trained separately. These thoughts kept her up at night but she didn't want to bother Sarutobi who was also helping Minato adjust to being the fourth Hokage. Instead, she just went to the training grounds and practiced by herself when it was pitch black with the ANBU that on guard duty for her safety at that time.

Sarutobi asked her about these late nights out training after a month of her constantly doing it and ANBU reporting everything to Minato now that he was Hokage. She kept brushing him off, saying that nightmares kept her up but she knew he didn't believe it though he remained quiet and didn't push her excuses. He just told her to be careful when she went to the regular training grounds if in fact people were still hunting for her.

Was he disappointed? Or hurt that she wasn't trusting him with the truth? It was a possibility but Ryuu wasn't sure that her worries about the upcoming graduation were big enough to be mentioned to the former Hokage.

* * *

"Ryuu, you're going to be late!" Choza yelled as he, Inoichi, and Shikaku dashed past the bridge she was on reading and she mentally slapped herself as she put her book in her bag and dashed after her friends. "Did you forget today was graduation?"

"I've been busy," Ryuu frowned as she easily stayed up with them. "And haven't been sleeping well."

"What would you have to be too busy doing to remember that today is the last day at the academy? You're two years younger than us," Shikaku snorted before a yawn interrupted him. "Besides, today is still technically a school day. You are usually there already."

"Any of you notice that if we are all split up into groups of three, there will be one student who may be left behind?" Ryuu asked, finally mentioning the fact that she was worried about graduation.

"You think they'll keep you in the academy because you're younger?" Inoichi asked as they slowed to a walk as the academy came into view. Ryuu could only nod and Choza laughed loudly as he put an arm around her shoulder. "You are at the top of the class. They wouldn't hold you back just because of your age. If it was something like there being an extra student, they would have a group of four or hold back one of the students with bad scores. Besides, there is more than one class graduating to genin level."

"That's true. Thanks Inoichi," Ryuu smiled as they reached the academy doors and hurried inside with some of the other students of their grade level.

Ryuu slid into her seat in a rush as Riku entered the room with a pile of papers and sighed quietly as Choza, Shikaku, and Inoichi got reprimanded for being late. She felt eyes on her and turned to see an amused look in the masked boy's eye as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. She smiled back as Riku started the last lecture they would have which was about how teams would work once she teamed them off and their new sensei's came to take them for the first team meetings.

Ryuu glanced at Kakashi and saw that he had turned his eyes back to the book in his lap. Over the last few months, Kakashi and Ryuu got a long a little better. They both liked books so they'd talk about them before class began, while all the time feeling daggers being glared into her back from the fan girls on the other side of the room when they came in. They didn't talk too much other than that, but it was enough for there to be no bad blood between the tablemates.

"Alright, it is time to announce teams," Riku announced and Ryuu glanced up and felt her heart fall slightly. This was why she didn't want to come to the academy today, no matter how much Inoichi convinced her that she'd be fine. "Asuma, Kurenai, and Raido, you are now a team. Your sensei, Kiru, wants you to meet at training grounds 5 tomorrow morning. A mission she was coming back from got extended a few hours. You are excused. Inoichi, Choza, Shikaku, you're sensei will be Rouni Sarutobi and he is waiting above the Hokage monument on the cliffs." Choza gave Ryuu an encouraging smile before he left with Inoichi and Shikaku. Ebisu, Guy, and Genma, please go to training grounds 9 and your sensei will announce themselves."

Ryuu looked around and her heart fell even more. Only Rin, Obito, Kakahsi, Anko, and two other boys who she never really talked to were left besides her. A man came into the room with long black hair and his eyes were yellow, reminding Ryuu of a snake. Riku greeted him and Anko and the two boys left with him. Three besides her were left as Minato and Sarutobi entered the room with smiles.

"Ryuu you will continue your training with Sarutobi and the rest of you will be training under the Hokage personally," Riku smiled.

Ryuu frowned as Kakashi passed behind her and touched her shoulder once as he followed Obito and Rin out of the room with Minato. Ryuu didn't move from her seat, making Sarutobi frown and he came to the back of the room and sat next to her as Riku smiled and left. Sarutobi remained quiet and waited patiently while Ryuu sorted through her thoughts.

"Was this why you pushed training harder?" Sarutobi finally spoke and Ryuu nodded quietly. "Why?"

"I thought that either someone would be left in the academy or become a fourth. I don't know how a lot of things are done within your village, but I just kept feeling like it would be me left behind because I was from a different nation and was younger than the rest," Ryuu sighed, finally letting him know her thoughts. "If I'm training under you, isn't the team still short two?"

"You'll be training with ANBU as well. Your abilities are far more advanced than those in your class. Besides, when Team Minato goes out on a team, I'll be leading it while he cannot afford to go out on missions now that he is Hokage. You'll be an extension to their team and Chunin Exams are coming up this next week and I've put your name in."

"But I've only been in this village for half a year…"

"You are ahead of your peers, but you do not have to accept to go to the exams if you wanted to wait for the next exams which are in six months. With how much you have worked with ANBU, several of those in control of ANBU have expressed curiosity about you and wish to see you progress to work fully under them," sarutobi spoke calmly.

"If there was going to be times I join another's team, wouldn't it have been better to just put me on a team?"

"Minato and I thought about that at first but while training with you, we've closely observed and Minato didn't feel like you would have worked well with a full team constantly. ANBU works in pairs of two for most of their missions. If you were worried about your new found friends, there would be plenty of that outside your training with ANBU and myself."

"I guess," Ryuu murmured as she glanced outside the window.

It was barely past midday and Ryuu was far from excited, even though she had passed the academy and became an official Genin, even if it was through another nation. She felt like she had been shoved into a corner to be kept out of the way so it didn't inconvenience others. She knew that Sarutobi wasn't doing it on purpose, but Ryuu couldn't help the feelings of being pushed aside because she was not born in the Fire Nation.

"Care to go get something to eat?" Sarutobi broke her out of her thoughts and she nodded as she got to her feet quietly.

Sarutobi had become the father she had always wanted, but she still could not fit in. She sighed quietly as Sarutobi led the way away from the academy towards the ramen shop. She hoped that one day she would be able to fit in completely and be able to call herself a Leaf Shinobi.

* * *

**10 years later:**

Ryuu dashed through the streets with a grin across her masked face as her former teammate struggled to catch up. Kakashi and she had been always completing for the best in the team the moment they both joined ANBU, even when it was just getting from one side of the village to the other. It was nice to have a friend to talk to on missions.

Kakashi had joined up with ANBU about eight years ago after a horrible accident took the lives of both of his teammates and Kakashi came back with a new scar and one of Obito's Sharingan eye in place of one of his own. Ryuu had been in ANBU for three years by the time she had run into him again and it took months for him to even start talking to her. Now he was retired from ANBU and had students of his own.

"Dragon," Kakashi muttered as he appeared next to Ryuu several seconds after she had entered the Hokage offices. Dragon was her ANBU alias.

"Good day to you too," she chuckled at him and saw his one eye roll in annoyance as his students entered the room.

Ryuu was 20 now and had a well-developed body. Her chest didn't quite rank up with the legendary Sanin Tsunade's but she had a pretty good size. Her body was still quite small otherwise but she was well toned for her 5'1 height. Her crimson hair was hidden by a black scarf wrap but when it wasn't hidden, it went below her waist. Her mask was white and the only markings were of a dragon that mirrored the marking that appeared on her brow.

"Hi Dragon," the young blond Jinchuuriki smiled and Ryuu nodded her head to him as she stepped aside since they had come for Sarutobi to give them a mission.

"Will you be home for dinner tonight?" Sarutobi asked as Team Kakashi left, escorting a bridge builder back to the Water Nation.

"No. HQ is sending me out for a four to six month mission this afternoon. I stopped by to say goodbye before I leave," Ryuu answered, slightly sad she would miss many months of evenings spent with him.

"During the Chunin exams? That is a shame, I know how much you loved to watch the genin work to get through them."

"I'll be back in time to stand by you for the next one," Ryuu smiled as she pulled her mask up so he could see her smile.

"You sure have grown into a fine young woman the last ten years," Sarutobi chuckled as he pulled out his pipe and lit it.

"All thanks you, you old man," Ryuu laughed as she came over and hugged him. "I'll see you when I get back papa."

"Be safe," Sarutobi hugged her back before she disappeared with a genuine smile as she pulled her mask back down to cover her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryuu sighed as she saw the leaf village in the distance and stretched her gloved arms above her head as she stood on top of the trees. The last six months she had been doing reconnaissance in the Valley Hidden in the Grass on possible threats to the Fire Nation, but every lead she had been given had been false until the last month of her mission. She finally found the man plotting and ended him.

Now she was finally finished and couldn't wait to see Sarutobi. She started running again, knowing it would take several hours to get to the village from where she was. Nothing had changed that she could see. She dashed to the Hokage office and appeared the office but froze. Her father figure was not sitting at the desk, the Legendary Sanin Tsunade was and there was a bottle of sake next to her and a mountain of papers.

"Can I help you?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly as she sat up in her seat. "You are unfamiliar…"

"Where is Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi?" Ryuu asked, her voice dark.

"Oh…" the Sanin's face became very somber and she let out a deep sigh. "You were the child he took under his wing from the Water Nation."

"I am a Leaf Shinobi," Ryuu growled.

"Yes," she nodded as she slouched back in her seat. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Sandaime is no longer with us. During the last Chunin Exams, Orochimaru managed to infiltrate the Leaf by deceptively pretending to be the Yondaime Kazekage. Hiruzen Sarutobi fell in battle against the former leaf shinobi."

"Wh…what…?" Ryuu felt her heart stop as she collapsed to her knees. Her body felt so cold as if she had been thrown into a frozen lake left to drown. She clutched her chest and felt like someone had shoved a sword through her struggling heart. Tears fell down her masked face and she choked out a sob as she pressed her head to the ground as she shook. "No…"

Tsunade remained in her seat as the former Water child broke down in front of her. She hadn't learned much about her from reports found on the desk shortly after Sarutobi was killed, but knew enough that she had a special crystal kekkei genkai. To be honest, Tsunade wasn't sure what to do with the crying ANBU. She had never met her and didn't know how many people she knew very well though she felt like she should call someone to help console the young woman.

There was a knock on the door before none other than Kakashi entered the room. He froze and Tsunade could see the frown through his mask as his one eye widened as he stared at the woman. In seconds he was next to her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders and his other held her head against his chest. Kakashi glanced at Tsunade for a single second before disappearing, taking the girl with him.

Kakashi knelt next to his former teammate as she shook against him, her violent sobs shaking his entire body. There was only one thing he could think of that could have made the stubborn woman break down like a child, learning of the death of the Sandaime Hokage. He looked around the fields he had taken her too. In the distance, he could see the cemetery.

"It… it can't be true…" her voice cracked from under the ANBU mask she wore as her small hands clenched his jounin vest.

"I am so sorry Ryuu," Kakashi whispered as he held her tighter. "If there had been anyway to contact you when it happened, I would have done everything I could to let you know. It's not fair to you to be left in the dark for so long."

"Wh…where am I going… to go now…?" the pain in her voice made his heart hurt with her pain. "It's… all hers now…"

"If it makes you more comfortable, I have a spare room," Kakashi offered as he ran a hand across her back. "I know Tsunade wouldn't have thrown any of your things away."

"O…okay…" she sniffed as she slowly pulled away from him and sat on the ground as she pulled off her mask and the scarf that covered her hair and used the cloth to dry her face the best she could as tears still fell down from her amethyst eyes. Her red hair fell around her and her bangs hid her pain-filled eyes as she held the scarf to her face, hiding the rest of her face.

"You should take a break from missions, you barely get to relax anymore," Kakashi spoke quietly to try to shift her mind off her pain as he sat on his butt and leaned back on his hands.

"Is that why you became an old fart teaching?" Ryuu snorted quietly and he glanced at her and saw a small smile as she lowered the scarf to her lap.

"I got tired of all the assassination missions we got sent on and there was no time for anything. We were always training and always going on either deadly or long missions."

"What couldn't stand being away from your girlfriend?" Ryuu joked as her tears finally disappeared. "I know how much Jiraiya's work means to you."

"They are well written…"

"Yeah and I'm a lesbian," Ryuu laughed loudly as she punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"What?"

"Wow, you can't even get the simplest of jokes," Ryuu shook her head as she laid back on the ground and stared at the sky as her smile slowly disappeared. "I never had any siblings, but if I did, I feel like they would be like you."

"It's been too long since I had any family, but I'll do my best Ryuu," Kakashi spoke quietly as he laid down beside her and intertwined his fingers with hers. "You're not a lesbian, are you?"

"No," Ryuu giggled as she closed her eyes as she squeezed his hand. "You definitely act like an older brother would. Thank you."  
Kakashi turned his head to watch her as she closed her eyes and had a relaxed expression on her face despite the fact that under her eyes were slightly puffy from all her crying. When he realized that she had fallen asleep, he slid her mask over her face and wrapped her scarf around her hair quickly before pulling her onto his back and made his way towards his apartment. Hopefully, she would get over the death of the second father figure in her life.

People gave Kakashi weird looks as he walked through the middle of town with a masked ANBU on his back that they couldn't recognize due to the scarf. He didn't bother answering anyone's inquiries, even his students, Naruto and Sakura, as they had passed by and asked before running off after Kakashi threatened extra training sessions. When he reached his apartment, two ANBU were waiting. Kakashi let them inside as he entered his apartment and headed down to the spare room that only had a queen sized bed and an empty dresser. He laid Ryuu down with some help of the two ANBU before asking they give her some time before reporting her mission due to the situation. Thankfully, the two men nodded their heads and disappeared.

Almost 6 weeks went by before Kakashi slowly saw progress for Ryuu. She did ask for temporary leave from ANBU to recover and spent a lot of her time sitting in front of Sarutobi's grave with her meals, talking quietly to herself. She was probably trying to talk to him to keep up what communication they used to have, even if he could no longer answer back.

Kakashi frowned one day when Ryuu came out of her room in their apartment wearing a pair of leggings that had bindings up both sides showing the skin of her outer legs and a tube top that stopped right above her belly button. Her hair was slightly curled and she had some light eyeliner. No weapons, no pouches, not even her forehead protector that she usually had tied around her left leg.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi frowned as he closed his book.

"Going to hang out with Anko," Ryuu shrugged. "You said to start talking to people and hang out with old friends."

"Yes, but you hate Anko. You have since the first day you met her," Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"True but that was because she was jealous that I was able to talk to you easily and she couldn't without blushing. She still has a major crush on you but we don't hate each other anymore."

"Where are you going?"

"Dancing down at the club. You're not my dad, Kakashi, I can go do things without having to ask you first," Ryuu huffed before disappeared out of the apartment and slammed the door behind her. Kakashi could only shake his head at her starting her rebellious phase as he went back to his book.

Soon it became a weekly thing to go out to the club with Anko and her friends and she always came back smelling of alcohol but never actually seemed drunk. Ryuu even complained how she was barely buzzed when she drank more than Anko and Anko ended up completely wasted. Kakashi was silently grateful for that when he went with her one night by invitation and saw all the boys who practically stared at Ryuu with jaws open when she danced with Anko and their other girlfriends. It reminded Kakashi of all the fan clubs that were focused on him when he was younger except they were all on Ryuu.

After about 3 months after taking a leave from ANBU, Ryuu slowly started to disappear on actual missions and spent less time partying which disappointed Anko because it started to give her chances to dance with Kakashi when Ryuu brought him with her. Kakashi no longer had his students to occupy his time since Naruto went off with Jiraiya and Sakura started training with Tsunade. Kakashi actually started to feel lonely.


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing from Naruto.

* * *

Ryuu frowned as she stood on a hill overlooking Amegakure, her coat buttoned all the way up to cover her lower face as she held an umbrella so her hair wouldn't get wet. ANBU had sent her here to the forsaken land of eternal rain to gain information on a group called the Black Fang which was supposedly connected to the gang that destroyed her village when she was a child. They hadn't been positive if they were in the Valley Hidden by Rain, but it was the first location she was told to scout out. It was an undercover mission so she was only in a pair of black pants and a blue long sleeved shirt under her white coat. Her hair was curled slightly from the humidity but thankfully it wasn't frizzy and she had a small back slung over her shoulder with several scrolls that sealed all of her clothing, food, and money for her travels.

First order of business was to find a hotel then somewhere to eat. Since ANBU had given her a sum of money and would reimburse her if she started using her own money she brought as well, she looked for a hotel that looked somewhat expensive. The hotel was nice on the inside considering the streets of Amegakure were gloomy besides the colors that the villagers wore under their umbrellas and coats and Ryuu rented the penthouse room. She had asked about places to eat and the lady down at the desks rambled off a couple places but said there was a club not too far from the hotel that almost always had the best food.

Ryuu pulled on a black halter top that had a steep v-line that was laced up so she wouldn't actually fall out of the top and a pair of white leggings that she tucked into a pair of knee high boots. She curled her hair and pinned it on top of her head before applying a small amount of make up to make her amethyst eyes seem to pop out. She pulled her coat back on before grabbing a small amount of the money and slid it into her small purse that had several kunai so she wouldn't have to use her crystal unless it was an extreme situation that she couldn't get out of with just her ANBU training. Once she was finished, she grabbed her room keycard and her umbrella and went searching for the 'Black light' club the secretary had mentioned.

Like the woman had said, it was only a couple blocks away from the hotel. Ryuu went in and a man took her coat and umbrella and handed her a ticket for when she came to get it. She headed down the steps, hearing a song with a good beat playing moderately loud. It was loud enough you couldn't hear a lot of talking but was low enough that if you wanted to hold a conversation with somebody, you could do so without yelling. Ryuu found a small table in a corner of the room that had access to the whole club and she slid into the seat as a waitress in a scantily clad swimsuit style top and mini skirt came over to take her order which consisted of a cheese covered chicken pasta and a glass of their most expensive wine.

Ryuu watched everyone in the club as she drank her wine and picked at her food. There was some dancing, but most of the occupants were either sitting or at the bar with drinks in hand. The only person that seemed slightly interesting was an orange haired man who had three piercings on each side of his nose, two snake bites on his bottom lip and six piercings in each ear as well as a rod that went through the length of each ear. He wore a black cloak that had red clouds across it and a pair of jounin style black pants were tucked into his boots.

She shouldn't have been staring at the man, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his greyish purple ringed eyes. Although as soon as a blue haired woman came into view and pulled him towards the bar wearing the exact same cloak, her gaze turned dark for a second before she broke out of her revere. She was turning into frickin' Anko. She had hung around the drunkard for too long.

His greyish purple eyes locked on to hers and Ryuu averted her gaze slightly to stare at the few couples dancing as she took a sip from her wine. The waitress that had taken her order earlier came by and dropped off a drink that looked like blood, but she could smell that it was sweet. When Ryuu asked about it, the waitress only smiled and pointed to the orange haired man I had studied as soon as I caught sight of him entering the club.

Ryuu sniffed the drink suspiciously before glancing over at the man who only continued to stare at her. She snorted and put the drink back on the table and went back to drinking her wine, ignoring the drink. She snorted quietly, realizing that the man was attempting to get her to talk to him, and refused to allow him any sense of success.

She glanced around and saw the blue haired woman dancing with another man who had long orange hair to his waist and three piercings in each cheek and a rod that went through his nose, if he had any other piercings, she couldn't tell and he wore the red cloud cloak and had the same greyish purple ringed eyes. The two orange haired men looked similar and wonder if they were brothers or in the same kind of gang to have similar piercings and hair color. She would have to send a message to ANBU about an organization who wore cloaks with red clouds and see if they were a threat to her mission.

She didn't stay much longer, considering the fact that the spiky haired man had not looked away from her. As soon as she went up the stairs, she felt like she was still being watched so grabbed her things from the door man and dashed out into the rain as she pulled on her coat. She didn't even bother using her umbrella, she just focused on getting to her hotel room quickly, but that didn't happen.

Ryuu got flung into an alley and landed in a puddle at the end of the alley. She coughed, slightly winded and felt like someone had punched her in the chest, but no one had touched her. She looked around and frowned as the spikey orange haired man stood at the entrance of the alley. She felt herself literally lifted off the ground towards him before she was thrown into the pipes behind her. Not moving, her eyes moved to focus on him and saw him move towards her.

She was lifted off the ground again and she closed her eyes bracing for another painful impact but felt nothing. She opened her eyes slowly and found herself inches away from the man, an invisible force keeping her in the air and not allowing her to move. She narrowed her eyes at the man and wondered what he wanted with her. She hadn't done anything to him.

"Who are you?" his voice was cold, but deep.

"Just a traveler passing through," Ryuu whispered, the invisible force affecting her ability to breathe. She should have escaped using her kekkei genkai, but if the Black Fang was responsible for destroying her village to use her as a weapon, it did her no good to reveal that she was there. "I swear I'll be gone as soon as I can replenish my food supplies…"

"What nation are you from?" he interrupted her and she felt like punching him if she could, but then frowned. If she punched him, it would hurt like hell with all that metal in his face.

"The Water Nation," Ryuu replied. She technically wasn't lying. She was originally from the water nation and there were barely any people that switched nations unless they were rogue or in her case, found by another nation.

"If that is true, where is your proof?"

"I'm not a shinobi, I don't have anything to prove to you…" Ryuu groaned as she felt whatever this force was tighten around her. "I am trying to get back home, but I was attacked and my papers got destroyed when the thieves threw everything in a fire."

"How did you get into my village without going through the security at the entrances?"

_'His village…?'_ Ryuu paled as she realized that this man was the leader over this village and her mission was already in jeopardy. "There wasn't any when I entered the village. I should have realized that it was strange nobody was at the gates to stop me…"

"There is nothing in her hotel room. Just scrolls that hold clothes, money and barely any food," a woman spoke before Ryuu saw the blue haired woman from the club come into view. The woman came to her and broke her purse strap and started going through it. "A kunai, money, and a hotel key card. This woman has nothing..."

"I was robbed before I got here," Ryuu lied as she struggled for air. Little did they know, that she had a hidden scroll with pure black ANBU Black Ops gear in case she had to get away that was sealed away in a marking on the black belt around her waist.

"She is clean Lord Pein," the woman sighed as she dropped Ryuu's purse on the ground. "This makes you look bad for attacking a traveling woman."

The force around Ryuu disappeared and she crumpled to the ground, shaking as she worked on breathing. A hand came into view and Ryuu looked up and saw that Pein was offering his hand out to help her up, an annoyed look in his eyes even though his expression was empty. She took it, not wanting to be attacked by whatever jutsu this man had used against her.

"Thanks," Ryuu muttered and he nodded once before letting go of her hand and started walking away.

Ryuu rubbed her now tingling hand against her leg from where it had touched him as she grabbed her purse and walked quickly to the hotel before someone else decided to attack her. Inside, the secretary stared at her disheveled clothing, but didn't say anything. Her hotel room looked like it had been riffled through and her sealed scrolls were out and her things were out of the scrolls on the floor. Ignoring the mess, she grabbed a pair of jounin style pants and a black tank top and mesh shirt before going to shower the mud off.

It took almost an hour to reseal everything she had brought with her and it was well after midnight, but she couldn't sleep. She should have been worried about the fact that a village leader had attacked her but she couldn't get her mind off the fact that her hand refused to stop tingling. She clenched her fist tightly before opening her fingers to stare at the small cuts from her nails well up with drops of blood. She would do better tomorrow than just sitting in a corner, she would interact with those that came into the club and maybe even dance a little. She would pretend it was like an outing with Anko, except her underlying motives.

* * *

(A/N): I know that this story probably seems like it is going fast and I promise, I am not trying to. There is so much I know i could put into this story, but then i feel like it would be like all the other stories i write where it is about actually working up into the higher ranks and I wanted to try something different while doing this story. I'll try my best to give you, my readers, a good story.

Please Review.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I am changing things around a little. The Six Paths of Pain are going to be brothers, not dead corpses controlled by Nagato. They can activate their shared vision, but don't always see the same thing as each other. Nagato is the true leader and their father but the Deva path is his voice since Nagato is dying. The chakra rods they have in their bodies allows them to control their jutsu and share jutsu if needed since they are brothers.

* * *

"Lord Pein, what do you think of that woman?" Konan frowned as they stood on the protruding tongue of the head attacked to the tallest tower in Amegakure. "Even though we didn't find anything, she is suspicious. If she just got robbed, you would think she would be more focused on getting resupplied, not going to the Black Light Club."

"We will continue to watch her. Hira has eyes on her for now. Patsu and Naraka are nearby if she is more than she seems."

"Where are Ando and Asura?"

"Figuring out why nobody stopped the girl when she entered the village. The woman has woken up."

"Do you want me to accompany you today?"

"No, remain here if father is in need of anything. My brothers will be busy today," Pein ordered and Konan nodded as he disappeared from the tower as he was notified that the girl was leaving the hotel.

He remained above the buildings as he watched her go through the village. She bought several dehydrated meal pouches and some clothing and sealed them in a scroll that she put into her purse as she wandered around. Pein allowed the rain to disperse for the day since he was in the village with his brothers scattered around, keeping their eyes open as well.

The woman was different with her crimson hair and amethyst eyes. He noticed a tattoo on her lower back of a phoenix surrounded by purple flames with its wings spread across her lower back, making the tattoo go from hip to hip. Her long hair cascade over her shoulder, going below her waist. Occasionally, she looked around, her expression dark and threatening, but Pein made sure to not let his brothers or himself be spotted.

Near midday, his brothers started complaining about food when the woman stopped at a small restaurant to eat. Annoyed, Pein dismissed them to go fend for themselves as he appeared in the streets and entered the restaurant she had disappeared into. She was sitting by a window, her back to him and he smirked before walking over and sat down in the empty seat across from her making her flinch slightly but she didn't look up at him.

"Have I done something to insult you, Lord Pein?" her voice was quiet as she held her glass of wine with both hands as it sat on the table, but he heard anger.

"No," he answered as one of the women working brought over his usual order of shrimp fried rice with an order of pork dumplings and a glass of Moscato wine. "Even leaders need to eat and I happen to enjoy this restaurant."

"And may I ask why you are bothering a simple traveler like myself? There are dozens of tables to sit at."

Pein almost laughed at how much anger and annoyance was in her voice as she finally glanced at him, her eyes hard and narrowed. "You certainly don't have the attitude of a simple traveler."

"I've had a lot of issues recently to piss me off. I've been told I have the personality of a shinobi every now and then," she snorted as she took a deep gulp of her wine.

"Obviously if you are drinking before sunset," he smirked and her eyes widened slightly as she glared at him.

"Not like you have any excuse," she pointed to his wine. "Why are you even talking to me?"

"I passed by and saw you come in so I thought I would treat you to lunch after last night."

"How considerate but I didn't come in here for a meal. Sorry to inconvenience you," she spoke coldly as she put a few coins on the table as she finished her wine and left without another word.

"She's feisty," Ando came into view and took the woman's empty seat.

"Report," Pein ordered, ignoring his younger brother's comment.

"The only signs of the missing shinobi that was on duty at the time was a couple black kunai with a fang carved into the handle."

"The Black Fang has returned then," Pein sighed, irritated.

"What are your orders brother?"

"Take Naraka and Asura and track them down. Kill anyone who bears the symbol of the Black Fang," Pein spoke as he put some money on the table for his meal and stood.

Ryuu sighed as she reached her hotel room. That man really was the worst thing for her while on this undercover mission. She gave him points for being hot and pulling of the piercings he had, but she had no time for boys. Let alone a leader of a nation that wasn't exactly at peace with the Fire Nation. She groaned as she felt like banging her head against the wall as she went and got ready for her evening reconnaissance at the club.

She had purchased a new outfit and was secretly excited to put it on, but waited until the sun started to set. The top was a corset tube top that was white and stopped at the bottom of her ribs. The white skirt went to mid-thigh and had a slit that went up both thighs giving her full movement as she slid on a pair of white strappy three inch heels. She moved the seal of her black ops uniform to a simple silver ring that she slid onto her right middle finger. She left her hair down but curled it to give it some extra volume.

She only had a couple days left before Pein got suspicious of her motives and had to work harder to find any trace of the Black Fang, but secretly hoped he'd show up and decide to dance with her like how he unexpectedly showed up earlier. Smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand, she scolded herself for feeling any kind of attraction for Pein and groaned, but then again she was still a woman, no matter how cold she acted. She grabbed her purse and left the hotel room after she made sure to have money and her hotel keycard.

The club was packed that night and Ryuu was glad that she had a larger group to narrow down with suspicions of the Black Fang. She ordered the same wine she had the night before as she leaned against the bar, listening to the conversations around her. Most of the occupants tonight were talking about how relieved they were that it didn't rain and how it was a good day. There were one or two conversations about how several brothers were scouting the village for traces of a gang infiltrating the village.

Ryuu frowned as she focused on those conversations but no names were mentioned. She had a feeling that they were talking about Black Fang, but she couldn't exactly walk over and ask them about their conversation. They were on the other side of the room in a corner with several beers. If she asked them, then she would be found out for being more than a traveler, especially as a certain spikey haired man entered the club.

Pein went to the club again. The most gossip was there so there was a better chance that he could learn why the Black Fang had returned if any of the gang happened to be drunk. He reached the bottom step and felt a small gasp escape his lips as he saw the red haired woman he stalked all day, leaning against the bar with a glass of wine in her hands. Her hair cascaded down her back and a couple curled strands fell down around her face.

Her eyes flashed to him for a second before one of the men at the bar turned and said something to her, making her smile, flashing her white teeth. She finished her drink before she took his offered hand and let herself be pulled onto the dance floor. Pein forced himself to move from the stair and took her spot at the bar and watched as she danced with the young man, his hands on the swell of her hips which swayed side to side as they matched the pace of the fast song.

Her laugh as they danced was musical to his ears and wanted to toss the man into the wall but refrained himself. Too soon the song was over and she appeared next to him, giggling on the arm of the man she had danced with as she ordered another glass of wine. She didn't even acknowledge him as she started talking to the man until Pein ordered his own drink, making the man pale slightly before he murmured the girl an apology before leaving the club.

"Idiot," Pein heard her mutter. "No surprise to see you here either. You practically been stalking me all day."

"There has been a recent threat to the village and they do not care who it is they attack, whether they are from another nation or not," Pein answered vaguely as he took a drink of his Strawberry Margarita.

"Is that so?" she frowned as she leaned against the bar and her eyes watching the crowded club. "They dangerous?"

"For an unskilled traveler, yes."

"Then I should feel grateful you've been stalking me," she snorted and he saw her watching him out of the corner of her eye. He nodded once and she frowned slightly as her eyes drifted away to scan the crowd again. "That drink smells sweet… what is it?"

"Strawberry Margarita," he smirked and offered his glass to her, letting her chose if she wanted to taste it.

Hell, maybe he could get her drunk and figure out her name at least. She turned to face him with a small frown before he nodded. She took the glass from him before taking a sip. He had to smirk again as he saw her eyes light up slightly as she took another sip so he just ordered himself a new drink.

"You know who I am, who are you?" Pein asked and her eyes showed her disapproval of him asking for her name. "It is respectful to at least know a name to call you, instead of calling you woman or traveler."

"Fine, you may call me Ry," she huffed before taking another sip of the drink he gave her.

"So why were you traveling in the first place?"

"I needed to get away for a little while. I recently lost my father and thought traveling would be the best way to mourn considering he loved to travel," her eyes became hidden by her bangs and she became quiet.

Pein didn't push her silence as he scanned the club and saw two men enter that were unfamiliar within the village. He frowned when Ando appeared behind the two men, his arm around Konan putting up appearances as he tailed the two men. His brother glanced his way and his eyes widened as he stared at Ry next to him. He gave him a smirk before he and Konan sat down at a table not too far from the two men they had followed in.

Both of the strangers had short black hair and had on white t-shirts and a pair of jounin pants on. There were no distinctive characteristics to separate the two men from those in the village, but they were not from Amegakure. Pein knew that for a fact.

One of the men came to the bar and leaned against it on Ry's other side as he ordered several drinks. As he waited for the bartender to get the two beers, he turned and flashed a smile at Ry who had turned to watch him. Pein frowned as the man offered Ry to join him and his companion and she actually agreed.

Pein glared at her back as she wrapped an arm around the man's as he escorted her across the room and felt Ando laughing at him silently. Sure enough when he glanced at his younger brother, he was looking at him with a grin across his face. Pein redirected his focus on the two strangers that had stolen his entertainment and Ry was already on the dance floor with man who had gotten the drinks. Her back was to the man and she was swaying against his body as his hands slid across her waist and pulled her close. Pein instantly regretted not asking her to dance before she had captured somebody else's attention.

Pein felt his mood darken when the second man joined them on the dance floor, trapping Ry between them and she just kept smiling and laughing. Pein wonder if she had actually gotten drunk from the couple drinks she had already. Nobody was that happy to be dancing with two random strangers.

Then Pein saw it… Ry's hand was around the man's that was on her waist and his eyes were closed as if in pain. His fingers looked out of place as she held his hand to her stomach. The second man frowned before his eyes tightened slightly. Her other hand was on his side under his shirt.

What did she do? Both men were still dancing with her, but they were not as excited as they had been when they first started dancing with her. Pein glanced at Ando and saw that his brow was furrowed as he narrowed his eyes at the threesome dancing. Something was wrong.

Pein weaved through the dancing couples before reaching Ry. He touched her shoulder as they stopped dancing and she grinned at him as if he were just another stranger asking her to dance. The two men stepped away and Pein saw the one holding his hand across his stomach and the other had his hand on his hip. He ran his eyes up and down Ry and saw some blood under her nails that had been on the man's hip.

As soon as the two men disappeared back to their table, Ry's smile disappeared. A slower song came on and Pein brought her body to him as he started leading her into a Waltz. She went to his chest and laid her head on his chest as he led the dance and Pein felt warm where they were touching.

"Are you well?"

"No…" her voice was quiet and he could barely hear her. "I think I broke his hand…"

"What brought you to do that?" Pein inquired quietly.

"They kept trying to pull me off the dance floor, saying I should go with them to their hotel. I may like to dance and drink, but I don't go with men out of clubs. I don't go out and party in my free time for that kind of thing," Ry spoke quietly.

"Are you drunk?"

"Not even close," she smirked as she lifted her head off his chest and stepped away from him as the song ended. "Thank you for the dance, Lord Pein. I think I shall retire back to my hotel room. I am rather weary."

"Do you need an escort to your hotel?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. I'll be leaving in the morning so thank you for protecting me," she smiled before walking away from him.

* * *

To distinguish between the Six Paths of Pain:

Pein: Deva Path- Allows one to manipulate attractive and repulsive forces

Asura: Asura path – Grants the user mechanized limbs, weaponry, and armor

Hira: Human Path- Has the ability to remove a soul and so, read a person's mind.

Ando: Animal Path – Summon a wide variety of creatures.

Patsu: Preta Path- Absorbs all forms chakra

Naraka: Naraka Path –Controls the King of Hell. Can restore brothers if they die and interrogates, both using the King of Hell.


	7. Chapter 7

Outside in the open air, Ryuu took a deep breath as she felt heat rush to her face. It was a bad thing to start having a crush on a man like Pein. She headed back towards her hotel when she heard the whistle of a kunai from behind her. She dodged it and spun, seeing the two man from the club. She figured something like this would happen, especially when the man who's hand was now broken remembered her from when her village in the Water Nation.

"I'm surprised you ain't dead," Ryuu snorted as she felt more chakra's appear around her. "But then again, I was a child, guess I missed your heart."

"An inch higher and I would have died bitch," the man laughed as he healed his broken hand. "The moment I saw your eyes, I knew it was you. Why would a Water child be in Amegakure?"

"Waiting for the Black Fang to rear its ugly head. Tell me, why did you chose the Valley Hidden by Rain?"

"What does it matter? Considering, you'll be dead in a moment."

"Oh so now you're threatening me with death, not just kidnapping," Ryuu giggled. "Did you think that this would be easy? I'm not afraid of you anymore."

"Obviously otherwise you wouldn't have been drinking in a club, waiting."

"You wanna dance, big boy?" Ryuu grinned darkly as she summoned her two bladed scythes connected by a chain. Ryuu's only hope was that Pein didn't decide to come out and realize how much she had been lying to him, especially when he was trying to track down the gang that had been trying to hunt her down her entire life. "How about I lead this time?"

All 20 members of the Black Fang attacked at once. Ryuu managed to keep on the defensive while slowly diminishing the number of shinobi around her, but they were tough. Their only goal was to kill her at this point, they were ruthless. Her body was slowly starting to glisten with sweat blood with each wound they gave her and she knew she was tiring. It wasn't like in ANBU where there was some morals while attacking someone, these men around her didn't even care if they died. As long as their mission succeeded.

Ryuu managed to defeat the last attacker but then felt something dig into her lower back and stumbled. She turned her head and saw the man who had haunted her dreams grinning as he stood less than a foot from her. He twisted the kunai he had dug into her back and she cried out as her scythes fell to the ground and shatters into crystal shards before disappearing. He pulled her against him as the kunai dug deeper and laughed as he started choking her with his free hand.

"Not going to use your Kekkei Genkai against me this time?" He whispered as he licked her ear as the hand that had dug the kunai into her started to run across her stomach. Ryuu almost wished for Pein to appear instead of this sick man who was feeling her up as he choked her. She couldn't lose what control she had just because this man was pissing her off. She had worked so hard for both Sarutobi and Minato to gain their trust to remain in the Leaf Village, she couldn't lose that now even if they were gone. "Or are you too scared to lose control in a foreign village? What happened to the blood thirsty child who didn't hesitate to kill her enemies in seconds?"

...

Pein frowned as a woman entered the club and immediately came to him to describe a bloody battle not far from the club. He was even more confused that one of his brothers hadn't even senses the fight on their patrols. He followed the sounds of the clash of blades and grunts of pain. When he reached the source of the battle, he frowned seeing Ry against the man whose hand she has broken at the club, her face laced with pain as the man choked her as well as feeling up her body which was covered in sweat and blood from over a dozen wounds across her body.

"...What happened to the blood thirsty child who didn't hesitate to kill her enemies in seconds?" The man asked as he licked Ry's ear and Pein saw Ry flinch at the contact.

"I have no reason to use my Kekkei Genkai," Ry spoke coldly and Pein saw the silver band on her right hand glow slightly before a kunai appeared in her hand and she shoved it into the man's thigh, making him let go of her as she stumbled forward gasping for air and collapsed to her hands and knees. She ripped a kunai out of her lower back, crying out at the motion.

"Ry...?" He hadn't meant to speak allowed, wanting to know if she had been the one to take out all these men but her cry of pain changed his mind. Her eyes locked onto his and he saw relief was through her before she collapsed to the ground, breathing hard.

"I will kill you, you little bitch," the man groaned not far from Ry as Pein came to her, but he was struggling to move as he ripped the kunai out of his leg.

Pein helped Ry sit up slowly, attempting to avoid her wounds, but there were too many. She cried out as he helped pull her to her feet, pressing her back against his body to put pressure on her lower back. The man finally pushed himself into a sitting position and his eyes hardened as he finally saw Pein. Pein summoned his brothers and the five surrounded the sitting man.

"It was an idiotic move to attack anyone within Amegakure," Konon spoke as she appeared next to Naraka and right in front of the man.

"You would protect that demon?!" The man hissed as he forced himself to his feet. "Obviously you do not understand how dangerous she is."

Pein glanced down at Ry and saw her narrowed amethyst eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Her body shook against him and he brushed it off considering how many wounds she had. Konon glanced back at Pein, suspicion evident in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Hira asked darkly.

"Buku Kytsu, Leader of the Black Fang from the Valley Hidden by Water." Ryuu's voice was cold and laced with anger.

"So you did do research," Buku laughed and clapped his hands. "I am clearly at a disadvantage here, surround by the Guardians of Amegakure. You have won for now Demon, but don't think you are safe."

"Go to Hell," Ryuu hissed and Pein tightened his arms around her waist as she tried to move closer to Buku. "Let me go Pein."

"No," Pein replied. He almost did let her go just because of the venom in her voice, but forced himself to not show her any weakness.

"Fine."

Purple Crystal suddenly appeared around Buku's feet and encased him within seconds as he laughed manically. A wall surrounded the encased man before the crystal shattered, splattering the crystal wall with blood. Then the wall disappeared leaving nothing left of the man except a circle if blood.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, Lord Pein, but that man has done too much to me personally for him to be allowed the thought of living," her voice was quiet and he could barely hear her as her legs gave out and he supported her full weight. "I have been hunting him down since his gang murdered my family and entire village. I didn't think he would actually attack me within your village. I had hoped...that you hadn't found out. Being able to act...like just a common traveler...had been a relief after 10 years...of hunting down the Black Fang..."

He watched as her head fell forward as she lost consciousness, blood streaked tears rolling down her cheeks. He pulled her into his arms bridal style with her head on his chest and frowned. His brothers worked on dispatching of the rest of the Black Fang and ignored Konon's confused look as he started carrying Ry towards her hotel since it was closer and she needed healing, any interrogations could wait for now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning: There is mature content in this chapter. There will not be any other warning for this chapter.**

Please Read and Review.

* * *

He went in through the balcony doors so not to arouse confusion to him carrying an unconscious woman to a hotel. He sat her on the ground in the bathroom before turning on the shower and stripped down to just his pants before working on removing Ry's clothing, leaving her blood soaked strapless bra and underwear on. He carried her into the shower and allowed the warm water to wash away the blood and dirt as he started to heal her wounds.

All the wounds healed easily, except the one on her lower back from the kunai. That one was very deep and bleeding badly. He turned her around so her chest was against his so he could press his hand to her lower back and not have her slip while he supported her full weight and kept her standing.

He was almost done healing the wound when she shifted in his arms. It became easier to hold her up as she got her footing and he kept his arms around her to support her as he finished healing her back. Her head shifted and he looked down at her as her half-lidded amethyst eyes focused on him.

"P...Pein?"

He only nodded, not sure of what he could say. He scanned her body once more for any injuries he might have missed before turning off the shower and helped her sit on the floor as he grabbed a towel for both of them. He handed her the towel and let her work on drying herself off as he ran the towel through his hair so he had some excuse to avoid her piercing gaze.

He should have been angry at Ry for lying to him, but he wasn't. Konon would find him eventually and demand why he didn't lock her up for her lies and shedding blood in his village. He sighed quietly as he removed the towel from his head to glance at the girl sitting on the floor near him who had managed to wrap the towel around her and remove her underwear without him realizing it and sat there watching him.

"Thanks, I guess, for healing me... and not locking me up for how many lies I have said to you," she looked down at her hands that laid limply in her lap. "If I had told the truth, I fear I would not have been able to do my mission efficiently."

"Mission?"

She sighed before running a hand through her tousled hair. "After Buku destroyed my village and murdered everyone in it, I was taken in by a village in another nation. I worked my way up to ANBU the last 10 years to be able to get the mission to hunt down those who were hunting me down for my abilities."

"What nation?" Pein frowned and crouched in front of her, making her look at him.

"I'm sorry, but to protect the nation that raised me, I cannot say." She looked sad as she stared at him.

"What is your real name?"

"Ryuu, so in telling you my name was Ry, I didn't lie."

Pein nodded and stood up before sighing. He should have left her alone from the beginning. He didn't like the conflict of emotions he was dealing with while interrogating this woman.

"Can I get some help standing?" She had a small blush on her cheeks but wasn't looking at him. He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet and stayed next to her in case she fell. "Thank you."

"Was everything you've told me a lie?" Pein wondered as he helped her to her bag in the living room.

"No. Just about how and why I was here. I really did lose a father figure lately, he was the one who took me in after my family was killed. He was murdered recently as well. Guess it doesn't bode well for me to have all loved ones murdered."

Ryuu pulled out the scroll that had all of her clothes sealed in it and summoned an outfit. Not bothering to ask the wet, half-naked man to give her some privacy, she slid on a pair of black underwear and leggings before letting the towel drop to the ground. A small groan came from behind her and she looked over her shoulder and found Pein much closer than she thought.

His eyes did not leave hers and Ryuu frowned at the look that was in his eyes. She pulled her hair over both shoulders as she faced him and took a step back, but he mirrored her. Fear of not knowing what the look in his eyes meant, Ryuu scrambled away from him, not even caring if she was shirtless at this point. She was alone with a man she had lied to.

An invisible force pushed her into the wall that was less than a foot away and Ryuu was surprised when his warm body suddenly replaced the invisible force and pinned her hands above her head with one hand. A gasp escaped her lips as his free hand ran down her side roughly. She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, afraid of what he would do, but refused to fight him because she had wronged him.

His damp hair tickled her neck slightly before she felt his teeth on her neck, making a small sound escape her lips. Her body suddenly felt warm as his teeth were replaced by his warm lips. Ryuu squirmed in his grasp and his fingers dug into her side as he pressed his body against hers. There was a hardness there that she knew wasn't the belt of his pants.

"P...Pein...?" She forced out, her heart pounding in her throat. His movements stopped, but he didn't remove his lips from her neck. "I'm confused... I thought you were going to hurt me, but... Why...?"

"You are such a beautiful woman," his voice was rough and the vibrations against her neck made her body flush. "It's wrong, but allow me tonight..."

Ryuu opened her eyes and stared at the far wall, surprised at how words. Her body felt hot against him and her heart practically stopped. He was asking for one night for her to give herself to him since she had told him she was leaving come morning. It would be a one night stand if she said yes, but it would make it that much harder to forget him once she returned home.

"I... I can't... If I could, then leaving will be difficult and I wouldn't be able to do my missions clearly..."

"Is there's someone else?" He finally pulled away to be able to look her in the eye, jealousy burning as he kept her pinned against the wall.

"No, but..."

His lips collided with hers, efficiently quieting her excuses and Ryuu's mind went blank. She felt her eyes close on their own as she started to respond. He let go of her hands and that hand went to her neck, while his other arm snaked behind her and lifted her off her feet. Her hands went to his shoulders in her surprise and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Pein let a small growl escape as he started to move away from the wall. She didn't know where he was taking her until she was straddling him as he sat on the couch that was in the bedroom where it was dark. She felt his heart beating rapidly against her chest, but hers was faster. She bit his bottom lip, tugging on the snake bite piercings and his fingers dug into her thighs as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Her hands slid into his hair and she pulled hard, forcing him to stop as she gasped for air.

His own breathing was fast as his grayish purple ringed eyes studied her in the darkness. She traced the curves of his lips and he bit her finger lightly, making her pull her hand back. Realizing that she was still topless, she blushed slightly and brought her arms across her body, but kept her eyes on him. She was very aware of the hardness pressed against her lower stomach and wondered if she would give in.

His hands slid up her sides gently, making her shiver slightly. Pein pulled her arms away from her chest and pushed her hair so it was all behind her. One of his hands slid down the center of her sternum and Ryuu felt like her lungs had forgotten how to work. It took everything she had to focus on breathing, while it felt like a fire was raging through her body with every touch from the man under her.

His head moved to her neck and started to kiss his way down her body and Ryuu let her head fall forward and rest on his as she felt like she lost all control of her body. She had played around with boys back when she hung out with Anko, but she never felt anything like this. One of his hands squeezed her chest and she squeaked in surprise which immediately turned into a moan as his lips came to one of her perked nubs.

In one swift motion, Ryuu found herself laying on the couch with Pein over her as he started to devour her body with his hands and mouth. Her entire body was on fire, and she didn't know how to be able to put it out. She wouldn't be able to tell him no if he continued to make her body burn. One thrust of his hips against her clothed core and her resolve crumbled completely.

Pein growled quietly when the woman under him wrapped her legs around his waist as he hovered above her and rocked her hips against him. He raised his head slightly to look into her amethyst eyes and she smirked mischievously before she pushed him backwards so she was on top again. Her lips came to his throat and as she took control, her teeth grazed against his skin as she rocked her hips against his hardness. He groaned as he brought his hands to her hips and rocked back against her and felt her body shiver above him as she whimpered.

As her hands moved down his chest, she used her nails and Pein closed his eyes as she enticed him. He had been so focused on her hands as they had clawed down his chest that he flinched in surprise when her teeth came in contact with one of his pierced nipples. A moan escaped him as she continued to tease him but then froze when her hand cupped him through his pants.

"Ryuu…" his voice was tight as she rubbed him outside of his pants and knew he well-endowed from what she felt.

He was probably close to losing control, and to be honest, she felt herself close to a release as she stopped rocking her hips against him. She moved her head lower and kissed his stomach along the line of his pants a few times before she felt herself thrown across the room and landed on the bed. She lifted her head in her surprise to watch Pein as he moved to hover over her.

His head came down swiftly and bit her neck harder than before as his hands raked down her body. Ryuu cried out as the fire intensified and one of his hands slid over her core once before she felt him slid his hand into her pants and slid a finger into her wet core while his other hand squeezed her chest.

"Pein… please," Ryuu could barely breath.

It felt like the fire within her body was suffocating her. She felt several more fingers enter her and started to slide in and out of her quickly before Ryuu felt her lower stomach tighten and the world went white as she felt her body arched up under him. Slowly as she started to see the room again, the fire slowly started to leave her body.

Pein lifted his head up to watch her, a small smirk on his face and Ryuu smiled a little as she touched his cheek. She lifted her knee up and pressed it against his hardened length and his eyes widened slightly. She lifted herself up so she was propped on one elbow and kissed him gently as her free hand slid into his hair and brought him down with her as she laid back down on the bed. She slid a hand down his chest and unbuttoned his pants before he realized what she was doing and he groaned against her lips as her hand wrapped around his length.

"Ry…"

Ryuu felt like he was holding back as much as he could and frowned. Was he forcing himself to keep his control at this point just because of what she said? As he pulled back from the kiss, she moved his head slightly and latched onto his neck and bit him hard as she rubbed his length.

"Yes."

Pein felt his heart jump into his throat at the one word she whispered and groaned as her small hand kept pumping up and down his length. He lifted his head to look at her and she had a small smile on her lips. She had given in.

Pein shifted above her as he kicked off his pants as they slid past his thighs and kissed her deeply, his tongue entering her mouth as his hands came to her pants and slid them down past her knees and Ryuu kicked them the rest of the way off. He straightened up on his knees and studied her entire body and saw a tattoo on the curve of her inner thigh, the kanji for hope, which had been hidden by her underwear when he had showered and healed her.

He positioned his length at her entrance and glanced at her and she gave him a nod. He slid inside her but frowned when he came to a barrier. He looked back at her surprised and groaned as she moved around him, her half-lidded eyes watching him as her chest moved up and down rapidly. Her hands gripped the sheets and he thrusted the rest of the way into her, ripping her barrier and she let out a small whimper. He hovered back over her and let her adjust as he kissed her neck to distract her from the pain.

When she shifted against him with a small whine, he straightened back up on his knees and pulled out almost all the way before thrusting back into her roughly, making her moan loudly. He kept up his rough pace and her moans started getting louder and more frequent and smirked, knowing she was close. He slowed down and had to let out a small chuckle at her glare but that disappeared when his back hit the bed and she straddled him.

As she rocked her hips, he groaned slightly at the deeper angle it gave him and thrust into her making her head fall back slightly as she started to ride him. He pulled himself into a sitting position with her still in his lap and she moaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back and changed their position again as he pulled out of her. She made a sound of complaint as she landed on her stomach but that turned into another moan as he entered her again from behind. He wrapped one arm around her waist to support her as his other arm propped his own body up as her back pressed against his.

She started to meet his thrusts so he speed up and pounded into her harder. Her moans became loud again as her release came close again and he sped up feeling his own close. As her body clamped down on his length as she came, it pushed him over the edge and he released his own into her before collapsing on her breathing hard. He forced himself to roll onto his side and pulled her with him, not wanting to remove himself from her and heard her giggle slightly. He wrapped his arms around her warm body and buried his head in her hair, feeling sleep claim him.


	9. Chapter 9

Ryuu's eyes opened slowly and it took a minute to focus her eyes. She was in her hotel room, but her body hurt. Warm arms were wrapped around her and she froze and shifted her head slightly and saw Pein asleep against her body. She shifted and silenced the quiet moan from escaping as she realized that he had never removed himself from her. She had to get off the bed and disappear before the man behind her woke, luckily it was still dark outside.

It took several fire-filled moments to wriggle out of his arms and remove his half-hard length from her body, but she finally succeeded and stood at the edge of the bed and studied him for a moment before grabbing her clothes and silently went to the living room to dress in a pair of black pants and long sleeved shirt and sealed everything else into her scrolls. She slid her boots on and wrapped a scarf around her hair before grabbing her bag. She wrote a note and set it on the table before sighing.

She glanced into the bedroom where the nude form of Pein still slept before disappearing out the balcony doors and sped her way out of the village, opening her senses to all chakras. She hoped she wasn't being followed by any of the orange haired men who were most likely related to Pein or that blue haired woman who seemed to answer to them. Her mission was complete and she needed to return to the leaf to report in before they decided to send a team to go and search for her.

* * *

Pein opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see a wall of crimson, but the space in front of him was empty and cold. He looked around but didn't see Ryuu anywhere. He grabbed his pants and pulled them on before walking into the main room and frowned. Even her bags were missing. He looked around and saw a single piece of paper on the table with the room keycard.

**_I'm sorry I left without even waking you._**  
**_ If I had spent any longer there without any contact_**  
**_ to my village, they would have sent a search party._**  
**_ My mission was completed so I must return home_**  
**_ and report my success._**

**_Last night was wonderful, _**  
**_ I'll cherish the memory always, _**  
**_ but I fear that if we ever meet again_**  
**_ it will be as enemies._**

**_Please forgive me, _**  
**_ I hope that leaving this way_**  
**_ makes it easier for the both of us._**

**_Thanks for everything_**

**_ \- R.K._**

Pein sighed as he folded up the piece of paper and slid it into his pocket as he sensed his brothers and Konon coming towards him. He dressed quickly and was in the process of putting on his Akatsuki cloak when the six appeared on the balcony. Konon looked angry, but all five brothers had knowing looks at what he had done last night. Ando gave him a full out grin as Konon stormed forward.

"Where is the girl?"

"She has left," Pein spoke nonchalantly. "She was not a threat to me or this village."

"She shed blood and crushed a man in front of us and you say she isn't a threat?!"

"She only came to Amegakure because of the Black Fang, nothing more."

"How do you know she didn't lie to you like she has this entire time?" Konon's eyes narrowed as she looked around the room. "Why are you in her hotel room anyway?"

"It took a while to heal her injuries as well as interrogating her."

"We all know your methods of interrogating are ruthless," Ando grinned, being the most immature of his brothers.

"Indeed," Hira spoke with a small smirk, making Pein hate the fact that his brothers and he could share each other's vision at any time. "Father summons you to the tower."

"You let her go, just like that?" Konon huffed and Pein nodded as he walked past her and followed his brothers across the roofs, back to the tower.

* * *

"You are dismissed Dragon," ANBU member White Fox spoke as they finished reviewing her report she had mentioned a gang who wore black cloaks with red clouds. That she couldn't leave out but left out all interactions with Pein and his brothers.

She changed in the locker room before leaving ANBU headquarters and sighed. Her entire life seemed superficial now and lies seemed to come more and more easily to her. She went home to the apartment Kakashi and her shared, wanting to sleep and forget her mission.

"Welcome home." Arms wrapped around Ryuu and she froze. She lifted her head slightly and saw Kakashi smiling. He had stopped wearing his mask around the house but Ryuu never asked why he hid his face to begin with. "How was your mission?"

"Fine," Ryuu sighed as she gave him a brief hug before walking under his arms to the kitchen. "Just tiring."

"What's wrong?" Kakashi frowned as he followed her into the kitchen. "Did something happen on your mission?"

_'A lot of things happened,'_ Ryuu thought quietly as she made herself a turkey sandwich. "I successfully defeated a gang that had dealt with the attack on my first home before I came to the Leaf Village, but I am not completely sure that everyone involved with wanting to kidnap me are dead."

The thought had been on her mind as she traveled back to the Leaf. Buku didn't seem like he had that many connections to have learned what her abilities were. There had to be something more about her attackers.

"Your neck is bruised…" Ryuu looked at him confused and he was staring at her neck. "Strange bruise."

Ryuu abandoned her sandwich and hurried to the bathroom and glanced in the mirror. There was light bruising from when she had been choked but there was a dark bruise on the junction of her shoulder that was circular. She covered the bruise and healed it as Kakashi came in with a frown.

"I had gotten choked at one point when I was fighting that gang," Ryuu shrugged and started to walk past him, but he put his arm out and stopped her.

"That is not a bruise from being choked Ryuu," his voice was hard and she glanced up at him and his eyes were hard. "It looked like a bite mark…"

"I think I would remember if someone bit me," Ryuu snapped, forcing her thoughts not to stray to Pein.

"What really happened on your mission?"

"It is ANBU classified and you know that not even fellow ANBU members are allowed to talk to each other about their missions," Ryuu deadpanned, realizing she was getting too riled up about this conversation.

Ryuu pushed past Kakashi disappeared into her room before he could interrogate her further. There were a lot of people in the leaf that knew her and cared about her wellbeing like a friend would, but once again, she felt out of place. Making sure her scrolls were stocked with supplies and weapons, she jumped out the window to go talk to Tsunade.

"Ryuu, what can I do for you?" Tsunade asked as she sipped a glass of sake.

"Permission to visit my former village," Ryuu spoke calmly. "I feel that it is about time to pay my respects to my former family and village."

"I'll grant your request if you take a team. We do not know if there are others besides the Black Fang you ran into that are after you."

"Are there any teams headed towards the Water Nation? I do not want to hinder ANBU if there is a team I could just supervise and let them finish their mission before going to Dantsika."

"Team Asuma is leaving first thing in the morning. My only order to you is to be in ANBU protocol to protect your identity the best you can. "

"Alright," Ryuu nodded before leaving the Hokage office and went to the cliffs above the village and sat on Sarutobi's stone head. "I guess it's about time I went home, huh old man? I probably don't even want to ask your opinion on that man, do I? You'd probably yell at me if you were still here."

"What man?" Ryuu growled silently as she felt Kakashi's chakra as his voice reached down to her from the cliffs above her.

"You eavesdrop on everyone who talks to themselves?" Ryuu muttered coldly.

"Was this man responsible for that bruise?" Kakashi ignored her question as he landed in front of her, his uncovered eye narrowed.

"No this man was responsible for strangling me and stabbing me in the back with a Kunai and before that murdering my family and village. I killed him by letting my Kekkei Genkai squish him into oblivion," Ryuu hissed, directing her thoughts to Buku instead of Pein.

"Wh…?" his question faltered as he realized what she had actually said and she saw the frown.

"I lost control because of my hatred for that man and murdered him in front of innocent witnesses."

She didn't actually lose control and Pein didn't really count as innocent but he was a witness. Kakashi wasn't just letting her do her own thinking like he used to and it was pissing her off. Why did he feel like he had to be the very overbearing brother after seeing a bite mark on her neck?

"I'll be leaving in the morning with Team Asuma," Ryuu spoke as she stood up and stepped past Kakashi. "I'll be visiting my former village and pay my respects when their mission is over."

"You think there are still others out there after you?" Kakashi asked as he stood behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tsunade seems to think so, but there has been no attempts to kidnap or kill me until I went hunting them down for my mission. I'm only allowed to leave the village with a team now until we know for sure there are no other gangs out there like this one I encountered on my last mission."

"I see. I hope you find what peace you are trying to find by returning to the ruins left of your former home," Kakashi sighed before disappearing.

"Me too, Kashi, me too," Ryuu sighed as she sat back down on the stone head of Sarutobi and watched the sun set as clouds gathered and started to darken in the sky.

The coming rain reminded her of Pein and she sighed miserably as she felt the cold rain start to hit her bare arms and shoulders. She really shouldn't have given into that man on her last mission, especially a leader of a nation that wasn't on good terms with the Fire Nation. Ryuu finally got to her feet and headed home where Kakashi was most likely reading his Icha Icha Paradise books from Jiraiya.


	10. Chapter 10

**ENJOY! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

* * *

"Hello Dragon," Asuma smiled as he shook her hand. "Tsunade told me you'd be joining my team today."

"Funny how you get the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation," Ryuu chuckled as she watched the genin walk towards them, the blond girl, Ino, yelling at the two boys. "She's much rowdier than her father."

"Tell me about it," Asuma laughed.

"Asuma-Sensei, who is this?" Choza asked as he munched on a bag of potato chips.

"It's like a mirror image," Ryuu giggled quietly and Asuma grinned.

"This is Dragon from ANBU, she will be shadowing our mission then we will be doing a body guard group testing while on our way back."

"And if we fail?" Ino frowned, her eyes wide in fear.

"Community service missions around the village."

All three genin groaned quietly and Asuma yelled at them half-heartedly before they started running through the trees towards the Water Nation. Ryuu ran behind the team silent and had to smile every time one of the genin glanced back to make sure she was actually there. This was probably the team's first time in actually having ANBU with them.

Team Asuma's mission went by quickly which was a scouting mission in one of the water villages that was having issues being able to get water from the wells around the village. They found the problem where a fallen tree had shattered one of the lines to the village and had been running into a lake instead. They stayed the full day to fix it then Ryuu took lead of the group.

Asuma debriefed them quickly of what each needed to do and they surrounded Ryuu as she led them towards her old village. Ryuu finally stopped running as the moon was at its highest and heard the genin behind her out of breath. In the distance, Ryuu could make out broken walls of many buildings.

"Is this it?" Asuma asked quietly as he put a hand on Ryuu's shoulder.

"Yeah," Ryuu's voice was shaky. "Asuma…"

"We're here for you, just take your time. It has been over ten years for you."

"What is this place?" Ino asked quietly.

"A place where stealth is the most important thing you focus on," Ryuu spoke quietly. "Asuma, if anything happens, get your team out first. I'll make sure to protect your genin and you and I'll be right behind you."

"Are your enemies still searching for you?"

"We are not sure, but to act like they are would be the best bet so no one gets injured. Stay close behind me, but watch yourselves," Ryuu whispered before dashing towards the cover of one of the broken walls.

Everyone stayed close behind her and Ryuu kept a hand in her kunai pouch just in case. Staying in the shadows of the broken buildings she made her way the center of the village. There was a small gasp behind her and Ryuu turned her head to see what was happening and frowned seeing Ino pale and staring at the ground. As Ryuu focused on the ground, skeletons littered the ground, clothing slowly being eaten.

"After over ten years…" Ryuu moved quickly to the broken water fountain in the middle of the village and saw two skeletons in the dried fountain. "I'm sorry…"

"What was that?" Choza whispered and there was an echo of a bone breaking.

"Hide," Ryuu hissed as she disappeared into one of the ruined homes and the team hid in another. The first thing she noticed was the familiar cloak the being was wearing and felt her heart drop. "Remain hidden."

"Dragon…" Asuma was cut off as Ryuu appeared out of hiding towards the being. He looked like a Venus fly trap and half his face was black and the other half was white.

"My, my, it has been too long that this village has seen life other than us," the man spoke, but only the lips on the white side moved.

"What has brought someone like you to these desolate ruins?" Ryuu asked calmly.

"We could ask you the same," the black side moved.

"I was passing through and ran into this place. Would you know what happened here?"

"A failed extraction of a prized weapon. The men my leader had hired decided they wanted to take the weapon for themselves but didn't realize how powerful it was."

Ryuu felt her heart harden in anger. Prized weapon? Failed extraction? The leader in control of the gang who wore black cloaks with red clouds. Had it been Pein? No, it couldn't have been, he would have been too young…

"Why try to imprison a child because of a power they couldn't control?" Ryuu asked harshly as she clenched her fists.

"That information is Akatsuki classified. Why would a Leaf ANBU inquire about a failed extraction that ended in the death of a Water village and that power?" the white side asked.

"Better question, how would a Leaf ANBU know that it had been unstable child?" the black side spoke.

"Ahh…"

"Ryuu!" Asuma yelled and she glanced back and saw two men in cloaks pulling them out of the ruins.

"No!" She appeared behind the first man and wrapped the chain of her weapons around his neck and he released Ino and Shikamaru. She tightened the chain as she recognized the Sharingan of the man who had Asuma and Choza. "Itachi…"

"Ryuu…" Itachi smirked as he released Asuma and appeared behind Ryuu and dislocated her shoulder as he pulled her arm behind her back, making her loose her grip of the chain around the other man's neck.

"Ryuu…!"

"Get the hell out of here!" Ryuu yelled as she summoned her crystal orbs and hit both of the cloaked men, releasing her Genjutsu on them before spinning around to find the Venus fly-trap man, but there were 12 more cloaked figures around her.

"Almighty pull."

Ryuu froze at the cold voice before she felt herself pulled backwards into the remains of the destroyed fountain and she groaned as she saw that she was lying next to her parent's bones. She was completely surrounded. She darted her head around to find him and felt her heart stop as he walked forward and crouched down next to her.

"Pein…" her voice broke and a tear escaped her eyes as his hand came forward and removed her white mask. She may had another mask that hid the lower half of her face like Kakashi, it did nothing in her position there as his eyes widened slightly as he recognized her as her scarf fell back, revealing her hair.

"Ryuu…?" His eyes hardened as the other five orange haired men came forward and pulled her off her back and bound her arms behind her back after the long haired one relocated her shoulder. She was forced to her knees as her scarf fell out the rest of the way and her hair fell around her shoulders.

"I had warned you," Ryuu sighed as she kept her eyes locked onto his, her hatred for what the Venus fly-trap guy had said overpowering any other emotion.

"I told you she was suspicious," the blue haired woman came into view behind Pein, her eyes narrowed but she had a smirk on her face.

Ryuu sighed quietly, realizing that she should have just left with Team Asuma when they caught sight of the first Akatsuki instead of her confronting him. A tear rolled down her cheek into the black mask that hid most of her face still as she relinquished all control she had and let her hatred take over her Kekkei Genkai.

"What is that mark on your forehead?" Konon demanded, but Ryuu didn't bother to say anything. She glanced at Pein one last time before unleashing her Kekkei Genkai and encased everyone from the head down in crystal except Pein.

"I told you that it was a bad idea to keep near me," Ryuu whispered as she got to her feet and broke the bindings on her arms.

"Then why leave me unharmed?" Pein spoke back as his eye glanced around.

"I couldn't…" Ryuu muttered as she jumped over the encased Akatsuki behind her and started to back away. "I told you it would make my missions harder to finish…"

She turned and ran towards the trees but felt his jutsu wrap around her and tossed her forward and she hit a tree. She recovered quickly and spun out of the way as he came running at her and chased her into the trees. She dodged the kunai he tossed at her before he tossed her into another tree but didn't give her any time to recover as he pinned her there, her arms pulled behind her. She kicked back and her foot connected with his knee and heard it pop out of place but he didn't let her go as he fell. Ryuu groaned as she found herself pinned to the ground stomach first with him on top of her.

"Stop fighting please," his voice held some pain and she flinched as his face came to her neck. "What did you do to them back there?"

"Genjutsu…" Ryuu muttered. "Until the crystal disappears, the only think they will be able to see or hear is from inside their own minds. I warned you that what we did would mess with many things…"

"You're a Shinobi of the Fire Nation?"

"Yeah, understand yet why I didn't tell you?" Ryuu hissed as she tossed her weight sideways and threw him off of her and surrounded crystal around his limbs so he couldn't move. She got to her feet and stood over him and stared down at him blankly. "You should have just let me disappear…"

"No," he spoke quietly as she felt him use his jutsu and pulled her down to her knees so she ended up straddling his waist. "You will pay for disappearing on me."

"I had to leave! My mission had been completed."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"It was a one night stand, besides we are not a thing and I'm not going to kiss and make up with you just to make you feel better. You knew it was wrong from the beginning," Ryuu hissed as she tried to stand back up.

"It didn't have to be a one night stand," his voice was quiet but she heard him clearly and forced herself to be angry instead of blushing.

"Besides the fact that we are enemies, I do not like you," she forced through her teeth. "You had caught me off guard and injured."

"You're the one who consented and allowed me to take away what purity you had," he growled back and she felt pressure on her shoulders, pushing her down so her head was inches away from his and she had to put her arms out to catch herself from falling completely.

"Let me go Pein," Ryuu growled.

"Only if you kiss me and honestly tell me you don't feel anything for me, even if it were lust," his eyes were narrowed as he watched her. "If you don't pass, you release me."

Ryuu faltered slightly as she glared at him. If she kissed him then her resolve to force herself to hate him would crumble. He was too much for her and she would undoubtedly betray her current home.

"Let me go." Each word was slow and filled with venom as she glared at him and tried to fight against his jutsu.

"No," he smirked and she wanted to hit him. "I've told you what you have to do to be allowed to get up and attempt to leave."

"Fine," Ryuu huffed before pulling down her black mask and lowering her face to his. "You are an egotistical jerk, you know that right?"

He only flashed her a smile before lifting his head the last inch, capturing her lips. Ryuu tried her best to not respond or to put any kind of emotion into the kiss but her will was slowly disappearing as he kept kissing her. After several long seconds, she gave in and kissed him back as her eyes closed. He bit her lower lip gently before she whimpered slightly as she ran one hand into his hair as she deepened the kiss and bit his lip harder and he plunged his tongue into her mouth and she fought for dominance but lost.

Her lungs started to cry out for air and she was getting lightheaded, but couldn't seem to break away to get some air. She could feel his chest moving faster as it got harder for him to breath as well and finally he broke away, panting and Ryuu rested her head on his chest since his jutsu kept her on him.

"You lost," he murmured and Ryuu snorted in response but released the crystal that pinned him down.

"Damn you," Ryuu hissed but didn't move as his arms came to her lower back.

She felt the jutsu disappear but didn't even try fighting. She had lost and silently enjoyed being in his arms again. His hands slid up and down her back over her armor, but she could still feel him. By now Team Asuma would be halfway to the Leaf to send a team after her and Kakashi would demand to take up leading the team.

"I need to go..." Ryuu whispered but his arms tightened around her.

"You lost, you are mine now."

"That wasn't part of the deal," Ryuu growled as she lifted her head.

"I said you could go if you could prove me wrong. Not if you could prove me right."

"Yes, I find you attractive and am drawn to you, but if I do not return to the team I was able to get out of here, there will be ANBU coming to find me."

"Do you really want to go back?" He spoke and she saw annoyance in his eyes.

"The Leaf is my home. If not for your father, I would still be living in that village the Black Fang destroyed."

"Stay with me and I promise none of my men will harm you," he spoke as he sat up with her still in his lap and held her close.

"I can't, Pein. I cannot abandon the village who took me in and treated me like one of their own and taught me control over my Kekkei Genkai for the enemy even if I lust after you."

"Ryuu..."

"No Pein. I wasn't even supposed to run into you again until maybe years down the road and I was just a masked enemy. You weren't ever supposed to ever actually see me again..."

He kissed her, effectively interrupting her as his hands managed to get under her armor and pressed her closer and his hands were hot on her skin. Ryuu kissed him back and could feel the hardness in his pants. Her body felt like it was on fire but she needed to put it out before it got too far like before. She pulled away from him and was able to escape his lap and stood a few feet away wringing a low tree branch.

"I can't... Not again... Stop torturing me and silencing me with your kisses. I have a duty to my village and I can't concentrate on that when you're trying to fuck me!" Ryuu growled, actually irritates. "Stop trying to get me to give in to you. Whatever this is between us must stop."

"Is that all you think I want?" Pein appeared in front of her and pinned her hands to the tree behind her. "You really think this is all about getting some release to make myself feel better or to brag to my brothers?"

"Pretty much sums it up," Ryuu muttered as she looked away from him.

"If that was all I wanted, Ryuu, I would have taken you in that alley, not asked for your permission."

"Then why? I have lied to you, I have murdered someone in front of you, all of your people back in the ruins are trapped until I'm far enough away that they won't be able to catch me and we are enemies!" Ryuu snapped. She needed to find a quick way out of this situation and get far away from him so he could never see her again.

"You have seen pain and have accepted that. You kill those that threaten you, even if others start to call you a monster because of it. Your passion, your beauty... It all calls out to me," his voice was rough as he kissed her neck.

"So unless I killed you, there's no way to get rid of you," Ryuu muttered as she dug her nails into her hands so she didn't focus on him kissing her body.

"Are you that disgusted with your attraction to me?" His lips moved up her neck to the shell of her ear.

"This is stupid," Ryuu laughed, her voice empty before using her crystal kekkei Genkai and shoved a shard of crystal into his leg, making him fall to his knees in pain. She stepped over him, stopping only to give him a swift kiss then walked into the woods.

"It won't be that easy to escape." Ryuu felt herself start to get pulled back but gathered her chakra to her legs and kept going.

"My, my, you caught yourself a sassy one, Leader," a voice laughed from behind Ryuu before something collided with the back of her head and she stumbled forward and landed on her knees. She turned her head painfully and saw the Venus fly trap man with a sheathed short blade in his hand. "That is an effective way to capture your father's prized weapon. Taunting the emotions of a woman."

Ryuu glared past the man to where Pein was getting to his feet and looked down at her. She saw pain from where she stabbed him, but also saw anger? Maybe sadness?

"I hate you," Ryuu whispered evenly as she forced herself to her feet and swayed slightly. "That was your whole plan, wasn't it? Once you realized who I really was, you kept me distracted for the fucking Venus Fly Trap to show up and attempt to knock me out with poison? Guess what you stupid plant, I'm immune. What was all that talk earlier that it wasn't about bragging rights and an ego? You're worse than dirt Pein."

"Leave Zetsu," Pein growled quietly.

"Leader?"

"With that head wound you gave her, she's not going anywhere quickly," Pein spoke coldly.

"Very well," the plant man nodded before disappearing into the ground.

"None of that was my intention Ryuu," Pein spoke quietly as he came to her and healed her head. "If the only to prove that I not here to try and kidnap you for my father is to let you go, then so be it, we will run into each other again. When we do I want you to give me a fair chance to explain myself."

"Why?" Ryuu hissed still angry.

"Because of this," he smirked before kissing her deeply, making her become lightheaded and she almost started to kiss him back. "Your passion, even when directed towards hatred is amazing."

"There is a small village just west of the border of the Fire Nation in the Valley hidden in the grass..." Ryuu sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Starting at the next full moon, you have a week to find me and convince me that you're not just using me. No brothers, no red cloud cloak, no blue haired bitch, none of them. Just yourself and nothing else. Those are my conditions Pein. Break any of them and I'll disappear and you'll lose your chance."

"Very well," Pein agreed and she pulled her black mask up and disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	11. Chapter 11

Ohayo Readers, I know this chapter is a lot shorter than my other chapters, but I'll do my best to make it up to you in the coming chapters.

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Ryuu sat in front of Sarutobi's grave with a bento box in her lap. The next full moon was in a week and she had told Tsunade and ANBU that she was leaving for a few weeks to recollect herself. When she had finally escaped Pein, she had caught up to Asuma and his team before they reached the village and told them that she had taken care of the attackers so they would stop freaking out. Otherwise, if Asuma had reported the attack to Tsunade, she would not have been able to convince her to allow her some time away by herself.

She still wasn't sure if giving the man she was attracted to a week to make her fall for him more, especially since Pein was the leader of a nation that wasn't on good terms with the fire nation. Though it seemed a better way for them to talk without having to put up pretenses with teams and have to fight. She wondered how he would get away with no one following him. Itachi had been there. Before Kakashi had joined ANBU, he had been her partner until he went rogue and killed his clan except his brother who ended up leaving as well.

"Papa, I know you're doing your best watching over me. What do I do...?"

"I got word that you're leaving for a few weeks. Were you going to tell me?" Kakashi appeared beside her and sat down.

"I thought you were on a mission." Ryuu spoke calmly as she ate her rice.

"Just got back."

"Ok, I'm leaving for a few weeks. There, I told you."

"Why?"

"For a personal rehabilitation. Too much has happened recently and I need time away that is not missions to deal with everything."

"Where do you think you will go?"

"I'm not sure," Ryuu lied. "Maybe to the ocean. I hear there are a few rehab spas down there or camp out in the woods somewhere no one can find me. I'll be leaving in the next day or two."

"You need a man in your life," Kakashi laughed as he elbowed her in the side. Ryuu knew he was mostly joking but she glowered at the thought of what would happen if word got out of Pein.

"Same goes for you," Ryuu muttered.

"Can't exactly have a woman in my life when I'm still caring for one. When I know your happy and have someone else, then I'll think about it."

"Kashi?" Ryuu sighed after a minute.

"What's wrong?"

"What would you do if I ended up falling for someone in another village?" Ryuu looked at him, hating herself for all the lies. He looked at her seriously with his one uncovered eye and she saw a frown through his mask.

"I would hope that if you did, that you made sure it was a smart choice. You know I'll support when you finally are ready for a relationship," he smiled after a minute as he got to his feet. "I should go write up my report before Tsunade yells at me. I'll see you later Ryuu."

"See you later," Ryuu spoke quietly. As soon as he disappeared, Ryuu sighed sadly. "If you knew the truth, you wouldn't think that."

Ryuu sat in the graveyard until well into the night before heading home to pack her travel scrolls with clothes for this trip dealing with Pein if he showed up and listened to her conditions. As she moved around her room quietly, she could hear Kakashi quietly snoring through the wall. She decided to pack everything she owned, in case something went bad while meeting with Pein but decided against a note for Kakashi. He'd probably hunt her down immediately if she left some note that could make him worry in any way. She could send one later with a bird.

She left through the window, not wanting to feel any guiltier with lies and tell people she was leaving for a while. Saying she was going to a rehabilitation made her feel like they thought she was crazy or had major problems. She didn't feel like lying anymore, but she definitely could never tell them the truth.

It took two days to reach the valley hidden in the grass and she had four days still before the full moon. Ryuu had picked this village because of the hot springs they had and she got a suite that had its own hot spring as well as having access to the main hot spring that was mixed. For blending in purposes as well as if someone from Konoha tried to find her, Ryuu dyed her hair black so she could just be another face in the crowd. Kakashi probably would think that she defected from the leaf since she packed everything she had, but if something did go wrong, she couldn't exactly go back to get her things. If everything went smoothly, then she could return and give everyone an excuse as to why she took everything when she left.

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Ryuu looked up at the clear night sky and saw the moon had finally reached its fullest. The clock had started and Pein had 7 days to find her and talk to her. Ryuu smirked as she stood in her private spring with the murky water around her waist. This game that she had started with Pein could become the best or the worst thing she ever decided to do.


	12. Chapter 12

"You think changing your hair color would hinder me from finding you, Ry?" His rough voice came from right behind her as an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a firm chest.

"You think I did it for the sake of trying to hide from you?" Ryuu asked as she turned her head and looked up at the man who hardly left her thoughts since she first met him. "I have other reasons and it wasn't easy for me to be able to leave my village so easily without someone trying to come with me as protection. Everyone in my village has cared for me since I was a child, so for me to run around so recklessly while there are chances of threats out there for my life as well as using me as a weapon scares every single one of them."

"How did you leave so easily then?"

"How did you?" Ryuu countered as she wriggled out of his arms and entered the restaurant she had been looking at through the window when he had appeared.

"That information does not need to be discussed so openly," Pein spoke as he followed her into the restaurant. "All you need to know is that my brothers are taking care of everything."

"They are actually helping you?" Ryuu snorted as she glanced at him.

"They are… curious how this will go. Besides they don't need to be here to watch out for me."

"Let me guess, it's something to do with the same eyes and all the piercings? Can share vision and chakra?"

"You are perceptive," Pein spoke as she sat down at a table in the corner, facing the shop so she could see everything.

"I would hope so being ANBU for almost ten years," she snorted as he sat in front of her. "Though you are a day late."

"It is not that easy for a leader to just disappear and make sure no one is following."

"You had a week before the full moon even started," Ryuu shook her head as one of the waitress brought her some Oolong tea that she had been ordering the last five days of staying in the village. "Thank you."

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Almost a week. I didn't really have a choice though. If I had left my village any later, I fear my brother figure would have followed. Though I still fear that he may try to track me down."

"That's why you dyed your hair?"

"Yes, but if you recognized me so easily, it probably won't even faze him…"

"I recognized you due to the phoenix on your lower back."

"Anyone could have a phoenix on their back."

"That could be true, but to have a purple phoenix that is made of flame and crystal?" Pein gave her a knowing smirk and she looked away from him. He actually had been paying attention back in Amegakure.

"If you could see details like that mean you're a pervert."

"You are the one wearing clothing that does not cover your entire torso."

"So you are admitting you are a pervert," Ryuu sighed.

"Only for you." She wanted to punch him for the egotistically smirk he flashed her.

"We will see." Ryuu spoke as the waitress, Yuma, came back with some pork fried rice and dumplings. Pein made a grab for her dumplings and she slapped his had away using her chopsticks. "Get your own."

"You are a real stubborn woman."

He only smirked before ordering something off the menu and Yuma disappeared. Ryuu finished her food before his arrived and smirked. She could escape for a few minutes before he decided to follow her again.

"I'll be at the Moko Springs when you finish. Just tell the receptionist that you are the guest of R.K. They'll take care of you," Ryuu spoke as she got up before leaving the restaurant as quickly as she could.

At Moko Springs, she talked to the receptionist to make arrangements for when Pein finally decided to show up then headed to her suite. Once she was in her rooms, she started removing her clothing as she walked towards the private spring and entered the water. Her muscles loosened almost immediately and she sighed as she stood in the waist deep water.

To be honest, she hadn't even been out around the town to look to see if Pein had arrived. She had been too busy scanning every person to see if she had been found by Leaf shinobi. Though she had lied to Kakashi about where she would probably go for 'rehab' she felt like she needed to watch her back every second incase shinobi came after her and tried to take her back and call her a traitor for leaving the village. With how she left the village, Pein was probably the least of her worries.

Ryuu groaned and dove under the water and swam to the deep end of the spring before coming up for air. She ran a hand through her hair to get it out of her face as she held onto the edge since she couldn't touch the bottom in the deep end. She was stressing too much and not about the main reason why she had snuck away from her village... Pein.

If word got out, she'd never hear the end of it. She had lied for a '_lovers'_ getaway with a man from another village. What would happen to Pein if she was dragged back to Konoha?

"Ma'am your guest has arrived," the voice of a young woman reached her from the main door and Ryuu pulled herself out of the water and slid on a robe as she went to answer the door.

"Thank you," Ryuu smiled at the girl as she stepped aside so Pein could enter and tipped her before closing the door. "You got here faster than I expected."

"Hn."

Pain looked around as he unzipped the black jacket he had worn and slid it off and set it on the couch. Ryuu picked up the clothes she had tossed off earlier and put them on the bed as she walked back out to the hot spring. She let the robe drop with a quiet thud as she stepped back into the heated water but made sure she could touch the ground as it slid up to her shoulders.

"You are quiet, what are you thinking?" Pein sat on a chair by the edge of the pool and stared at her.

"I'm wondering if I messed up," Ryuu sighed, not looking at him. "The way I left... Though I requested some time off, I wonder if they actually think I defected the village. I didn't exactly leave anything behind in case things went bad and I didn't leave a note either..."

"You think shinobi of your village could be searching for you?"

"It is a high possibility," Ryuu sighed before diving under the water to the bottom of the deep end of the pool.

She remained there for several minutes until her lungs started to protest at the lack of air before returning to the surface. She squeaked in surprise that when she went to grab the edge, she touched Pein's leg instead. She wiped the water from her eyes and looked at Pein who had been kneeling on one knee at the edge of the pool, a frown on his face. He watched her carefully as she swam away from the edge to the middle of the spring.

"Why would you risk being called a traitor to your village when you said you wouldn't abandon your village?"

"I have a lot of things to work through. Everyone who was told I was leaving for a while think I left for rehabilitation to get myself back together. Either way, if it gets out that I came here to meet the leader of an enemy nation for personal preference, I would most likely be deemed a traitor and put into prison. So I prepared for the chance that it could happen either way."

"All this trouble just for a week so we don't have to deal with pretenses."

"Yes," Ryuu sighed quietly. "All this trouble to be able to understand what this is between us. Missions, even the simplest one, was hard to do after I had left Amegakure. Hell, everything I did daily became harder. I've fooled around with men from my village, but I have never had one that overwhelmed all my senses with just a kiss and I don't understand any of it."

"Why would you consent to me when you thought it would be just a one night stand? Especially if you messed around with other men?"

Ryuu looked away from him and started to move towards the shallow end where her robe sat on the edge by the stairs. She grabbed it as she got to the steps and slid it over her shoulders before disappearing into her rooms as she heard him following her. She couldn't answer a question she didn't understand herself. She grabbed a towel and started to dry her long hair while keeping her back to Pein as he entered the room.

"Ryuu...?" His arms came around her waist and she froze as she felt his lips on her neck. "Why?"

"Don't be asking me questions I cannot answer," Ryuu spoke calmly as she finished drying her hair so it was left slightly wavy and damp.

She pulled away from Pein and went to the wardrobe where she had hung up her clothes and pulled out a red halter top and a pair of fishnet leggings to go under her black short shorts. She had managed to get her leggings, shorts and strapless bra on before his arms came around her waist again. Ryuu sighed quietly as he buried his head against her neck.

"You really have no self-control, do you?" Ryuu muttered but flinched as she felt him bite the junction of her shoulder. "Give a dog an inch and he goes a mile."

"You gave me a week…"

"Yeah a week to prove that you were not interested in me because your father has been searching for me since I was born to become his personal tool," Ryuu jerked away from him so she could look at him. "Not to prove something that you have already proven."

"I did not know who you were until Akatsuki ran into you in those ruins."

"Yeah, my home," Ryuu hissed as she grabbed halter top and pulled it on before braiding her hair over her shoulder.

"Ryuu…" She froze as he appeared in front of her and brought his hand to her cheek. "I promise that it has never been my intention to ever give you to my father. He is dying and has passed leadership over to me. He could not ever order for your capture."

"That Fly Trap seemed to think otherwise."

"And I took care of it, did I not? You will learn to trust me," he spoke before he pulled her against him and claimed her lips.

Ryuu tried to pull away from him but his hand came to the back of her head while his other arm wrapped around her waist. He bit her lip and she whimpered against his lips as she gave in to him. He managed to get her to give in every time he started to kiss her. She slid her hands into his hair and pulled as he snaked his tongue into her mouth and lifted her off the ground. She squeaked in surprise but wrapped her legs around his waist as the kiss became faster and a fight for dominance. She managed to bite his lip and tug on his snake bite piercings and he groaned against her lips as his hand that had been in her hair slid down her back to her waist to hold her up easier. Ryuu finally pulled away, gasping for air and rested her forehead against his as she kept her eyes closed as she worked to slow her breathing.

"You are way too overwhelming," Ryuu whispered quietly and he chuckled quietly as he moved with her still wrapped around him before she felt herself falling and opened her eyes and found herself straddling Pein on her futon and he just had a smirk on his face. "Dangerous, too."

"I could say the same," he smirked as his hands slid up her back then Ryuu found herself on her back with him hovering over her. He kissed her again and Ryuu didn't bother to try and resist him and pretend that she didn't lust after this man.

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Please Review!


	13. Chapter 13

Ryuu sighed contently as she slipped back into the hot springs as the moon came out from behind the clouds. Pein had disappeared after they had gone to dinner down in the middle of town but Ryuu didn't mind. He had been driving her insane with all his light touches across her body as they walked through the town. Each tough felt like a warm flame across her skin and soon her entire body felt like it was on fire by the time they had returned to her suite.

She decided that a bikini would be better when in the suite's personal spring with how much Pein kept surprising her and touching her body. She didn't exactly want to be surprised by him claiming her entire body again, but his actions definitely didn't fit with wanting to use her as a weapon. She just hoped that this small traitorous trip turned out okay and she would be able to return to Konoha…

"You're overthinking again." She jumped in surprise and was lucky that she was a shinobi, otherwise she would have lost her footing and slipped under the water and made herself look like a fool.

"I can't exactly stop. I still worry that shinobi from Konoha…" Ryuu stopped talking, realizing that she had dropped her guard and revealed exactly what village in the Fire Nation she was from.

"Konoha…?"

Ryuu groaned before diving under the water to the bottom of the deep end and held onto the small groves on the bottom and opened her eyes if Pein came under after her, which he did. She could see his bright orange hair in the murky water as he swam towards her and he was in his pants but nothing else. He stopped before her for a second before his arms came around her waist and forced her back to the surface. She grabbed the edge of the spring as he got out then he grabbed her arm and pulled her out as well but she didn't look at him.

"Konohagakure is the only village that has ANBU forces. I figured that out when you appeared in the Water Nation." He made her look at him and she sighed, realizing that she was over reacting for no reason.

"Sorry," Ryuu sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Where did you go anyway?"

"That information does not need to be discussed at this time," he smirked as he kissed her brow. "You'll get sick if you don't dry off."

"Okay," Ryuu smirked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and took a step back and let her weight pull both of them back into the spring. When they came up for air, she giggled seeing the surprise on his face. "I wasn't finished relaxing."

She swam away from him back to the shallow end, but his arms came back around her waist and she was pulled under the surface. She spun around in his arms and saw a small smirk on his face as they resurfaced. He stood and pulled her against him and she giggled as she used his shoulders as a support and wrapped her legs around his waist as she kissed him. His hands came to her butt and squeezed, making her jump but she slid her tongue into his mouth, taking control while she could before he decided to take over and overwhelm all her senses.

She felt water move around her legs as he moved in the spring. She felt the backs of her thighs hit the edge of the spring before Pein sat her on the edge and his hands ran up and down her sides. He bit her lip gently as he slowly started to take control as his fingers dug into her back gently.

* * *

She let out a small whimper as he dug his fingers into her back and he smirked as he deepened the kiss. Her hands slid into his hair and pulled him even closer and he had to move his hands to the ground to support himself as she started to pull him slowly out of the water. Soon he had to pull away from the kiss as she scooted back as he pulled himself the rest of the way out of the water.

As he moved to hover over her, he started to kiss his way up her body from her stomach and felt her squirm under him as she mewed. He made his movements slow, knowing that she was being tortured by his movements. As he reached her sternum, he brought one hand up to lightly move across her chest, tracing the line of her swimming suit and she whimpered as her hands came to his shoulders.

"P…Pein…" her voice was weak as her chest started to move faster as it got harder for her to breath and he smirked.

He moved up and kissed her collarbone as he rested his hand on her chest before moving up the side of her neck and felt her heart pounding rapidly against his lips. He kissed her cheek since her head was turned to the side and her eyes were closed before he captured her lips again. He lowered his body onto hers and her knee slid in between his legs and he groaned against her lips as one of her hands slid into his hair and her other hand slid down his chest. Her hand went to the edge of his pants before she tightened her grip and his back hit the ground as she hovered over him, breathing hard.

"You really are hazardous to my health," she whispered as she rested her forehead on his chest while her hands shook on his stomach.

"Is that really a bad thing?" Pein smirked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't know yet. We still have four days to figure that out."

"Indeed, now we should get dried off and dressed. Your body is getting cold," Pein spoke as he sat up with her.

"Yeah," she smiled before kissing his lips briskly before getting up and disappeared into her room.


	14. Chapter 14

Ohayo readers, this chapter is a little longer because I couldn't find the perfect place to stop it to be able to start the next chapter in mind.

Please Read and Review!

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There was only one day left before the week was over and she needed to be able to answer questions that she wasn't sure she was ready to answer. Pein had disappeared most of the morning, but she hadn't left her room. She was still wearing just a black laced bra and matching underwear. He had been a gentleman while they were here, not once had he slept with her and even stayed in the spare room.

Ryuu laid on her back, propped up by a couple pillows and the covers were all at her feet. She wasn't sure how today was going to go considering Pein would most likely be returning to his village either tonight or first thing tomorrow and she still didn't know what she was going to do. She was relieved that there had been no signs of Kakashi or anyone else from Konoha, but she couldn't let her guard down quite yet.

"Ma'am, you have a delivery," there was a knock on the main door and Ryuu sighed as she slid out of bed and pulled on a silk robe as she entered the main room. She opened the door and froze. "I'm sorry ma'am… he forced me… I couldn't stop him…"

"You did the best you could, leave us," Ryuu narrowed her eyes at the silver haired man who had a kunai in hand as he gripped the girl's arm. He let her go and she scampered down the hall as Kakashi stormed into the room. Ryuu closed the door and sighed. "And what do I owe the pleasure of your visit brother?"

"Is this where you have been the entire time?" He asked as he opened the door to the spare room which was spotless and no sign of Pein ever having been in there and Ryuu was silently glad that he had disappeared for the morning.

"Yeah, I told you I wasn't sure where I was headed when I left to rehabilitate myself," Ryuu spoke as she unbraided her hair and sat on the couch. Kakashi stormed through the rest of the suite before coming back to the main room. "What are you looking for? There is no one here."

"Why would you leave like that?" he spun on her as he put his kunai away. "No note, take everything you owned, leave false trails away from the village?! What were you thinking? Did you want Konoha to think you had abandoned your home?"

"The reason I left false trails was because I didn't want someone to come after me while I dealt with my problems. No one is coming after me anymore, so there is no reason for body guards. And to be honest, leaving a note would be even more of a hassle because you would come after me anyway."

"Then why all the pretenses?" Kakashi snapped.

"Maybe I didn't want to be found!" Ryuu snapped back as she stood up. She hoped that Kakashi was alone and her yelling would alert Pein if he was coming back soon to stay away. "Whenever someone from Konoha is trying to help me, I don't get a moment to be able to deal with anything properly. It just builds up and I usually end up killing people that don't need to be during my missions!"

"We were trying to help you."

"No, you were trying to make sure that a valuable ally didn't decide they wanted to think for themselves or to be taken by anyone else, but I have lost control of my Kekkei Genkai even though I say I have had perfect control since working with Minato and Sarutobi. I lose my anger for a moment and something happens. I am unstable and I cannot stay in Konoha anymore, not when my Kekkei Genkai keeps growing stronger. All I am at this point is a time bomb!"

"So you had planned to just abandon Konoha without an explanation?"

"The village didn't need to know that the Water child was becoming even more unstable and dangerous than when she first came to Konoha! What I am doing, is to protect them."

"And what about me Ryuu? Or Tsunade? Or even Sarutobi?"

"Papa is dead, and you were just fine before. I know what I am doing Kakashi. Even if you don't understand why, please understand at least that," Ryuu spoke sadly as she touched his arm.

"Okay. Though when that girl told me you had a double suite, the question about falling for someone in a different village came to mind and I thought you disappeared because of that."

"No," Ryuu spoke as calmly as she could. That had been only part of the reason. Either way, she hadn't planned on returning to Konoha now that she had a week to think about things away from the village. "Hot springs have healing remedies and helps relax the body."

"So you don't plan on coming back, do you?" He looked at her sadly and she just shook her head. "What do I tell Tsunade?"

"I guess telling her the truth would be best. Tell her I no longer can keep my Kekkei Genkai fully under control and that I left to keep everyone safe. I don't know if there is a limit to these crystalline abilities."

"What will you do to get by? Will you be able to take care of yourself?"

"I honestly don't know at this point in time. I may just remain a traveler, pick up jobs here and there but I don't want to settle anywhere until I can gain back my control," Ryuu spoke as he came to stand in front of her. "I've grown a lot, I'll be fine."

"Do you think you will come back to Konoha?"

"Maybe, but everything is up in the air until I get control again."

"At least keep in contact then," Kakashi spoke before hugging her. "My team is passing the village."

"See you around Kakashi and I'll send you notes once in a while as long as you promise to not to hunt me down again, clone or not," Ryuu smiled before punching his arm and he only laughed before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Damn idiots."

She sighed before going back to her room and laid back on the bed, not bothering to remove the robe. She rolled onto her stomach and rested her arms under her head. Not really wanting to, Kakashi had made her verbalize what she planned to do know. She couldn't return to Konoha now even if she had wanted to.

Maybe she would find Itachi and live with him and have him help her train with her Kekkei Genkai. He was in the same organization as Pein so she would be able to see him every now and then. Or Pein would just end up convincing her to live with him. She heard the main door open and close quickly before his hand touched her shoulder as he laid next to her.

"The girls at the desk notified me that a man forced them to bring him to your room..."

"My brother's clone... Well, adoptive brother. He had taken me in when my adoptive father died. I told him I left because I was a danger to the village due to my Kekkei Genkai growing stronger, which was true, but I didn't tell him anything else," Ryuu replied, not moving to look at him.

"What do you plan to do then? You have ruined your chances of returning to your home."

"I may talk to an old friend to help me gain control back, but I didn't plan on going back. That's why I took everything."

"Where's this friend?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Ryuu spoke as she finally moved so she could look at him. "Last I saw him, he was with your people. That damn Uchiha, not even saying goodbye when he left."

"You know him?"

"I only worked with him for six years in ANBU," Ryuu snorted before kissing his cheek.

"Why would you want to live with him?" His voice was dark as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Jealous?" Ryuu spoke seductively, her lips inches away from his.

"Very," he growled as he tried to kiss her but she rolled away from him and got off the bed grinning as she let the robe fall to the ground. "Ry..."

"Hmm?" She hummed.

As she pulled a pair of black pants and a red tube top out of the wardrobe, she glanced at him and saw a noticeable bump in his pants and smirked. He laid against the propped pillows as she saw the want in his eyes. She turned to face him and put her hands on her hips.

"Considering your actions this week, you're not acting very gentlemanly at the moment," she smirked as she moved to the edge of the bed and started to crawl towards him slowly and she saw the bump in his pants become larger.

She lowered her face to his stomach and kissed it through his shirt before pushing the fabric out of the way so she could touch his bare skin. She kissed her way up his chest, feeling him twitch with each touch. She let her hands follow the path behind her lips and he let out a quiet hiss. As she reached where his shirt had bunched up, she frowned and sat up so she was straddling him and he let out a small moan as she shifted her hips slightly. He sat up with her and she pulled his shirt over his head before he could do anything and went to attack his neck. As she bit the junction of his neck, a louder moan escaped his throat and she chuckled quietly and she kissed up and down his shoulder before biting his upper neck below his ear and she found herself on her back with him on top of her.

He moved down and his lips came on contact with her lower stomach and Ryuu flinched in surprise. He slowly started to kiss his way up her chest and she froze slightly that he was copying her movements, moments ago. His hands slid under her and she felt his hands undo her bra with ease before it disappeared somewhere behind her as his hands came to squeeze both of her breasts as he kissed his way up the center of her sternum. She moaned at the movements before he moved up to right above her collarbone and she felt him start to bite, suck, and lick the same area for several seconds before moving up her neck, kissing her gently before claiming her lips.

"Pein..." She whispered as he pulled back and stared at her, his eyes full of want still.

"Why did you consent to me that night?" He asked seriously as he stared down at her.

"It felt right," Ryuu spoke honestly as she watched him. "What I feel when I am with you Pein, there is no other place I have felt such heat and passion. You make me feel alive Pein. Why had you asked that night when you knew it was wrong? Why even ask in the first place? You are a leader and are you not used to taking and getting whatever you wanted when you wanted it?"

"I felt something different when I was with you. You weren't just another woman in the crowd, like all the women in bars wanting attention. You were observant and quiet, but knew how to have a good time and when to quit. Besides that, you are a beautiful woman and your passion for your work and those around you is quite amazing," he spoke as he started to kiss her neck and collarbone. "But maybe you are right on one thing. Until Zetsu understands that he can no longer touch you and try to bring you to my father, Itachi would be a good choice to stay with. Staying with my brothers would be a nightmare."

"And there's that blue-haired bitch," Ryuu giggled and heard him chuckle as well, his warm breath flowing across her skin.

"Konon is difficult. She grew up with my brothers and myself since we were children. I do believe she has had some sort of crush on me, but I do not feel anything towards her except that she feels like a sister."

"When do you leave?" Ryuu asked quietly as he laid his head on her shoulder as he let his body relax on top of hers.

"Tomorrow morning Ando and Hira will arrive to make sure I arrive back in Amegakure safely."

"Where does Itachi stay?"

"He is out on missions quite often, but there are two houses near the edge of Amegakure for all the members of Akatsuki. Itachi has his own apartment near the houses, since he does not do well with roommates."

"Sounds like him," Ryuu chuckled as she ran a hand through his hair.

"Hn."

His head moved and she felt him start to bite her neck where he could reach without moving his head and Ryuu closed her eyes enjoying his touch. One of his hands started to move up and down her side and she shivered slightly. She squirmed as his hand slid across her hip and tried not to laugh as he tickled her but as he slid his hand across her hip again, she couldn't help but whine in protest as her hand moved and stopped his.

He lifted his head to look at her and she narrowed her eyes at him as he smirked at her. She used her shinobi speed to push him back and she hovered over him again and pinned his arms to the side with her crystal. He frowned at her but she just smirked as she shifted so she was between his legs not touching him.

"Ryuu…"

"You have teased me all week, leaving my body on fire with no way to extinguish it. I think a little revenge is in order," she spoke innocently as she kissed his stomach right above his pants.

* * *

*****Lemon Starts*****

* * *

She unzipped his pants slowly, letting her fingers trail across his bare skin as the zipper went lower. He shifted under her and she grinned as she slowly slid his pants past his hips and pulled them all the way off before kissing his hips as she ran her fingers down his thighs. She was careful to not touch his hard length and he groaned as she kissed the inside down his hip as her fingers finally came to the base of his length and she squeezed him and he let out a loud moan as he fought against the restraints on his hands.

"You are cheating," he groaned as she kissed his hip again and started to suck on that spot like he had done to her collarbone.

"I can't exactly have you distracting me, can I? I'm just using my resources, just like when you use yours to throw me into walls and onto beds," Ryuu grinned as she looked up at him and saw his eyes watching her. "I'm just getting even."

She ran her hand up his length and saw his eyes close as he groaned and his hips thrusted up into her hand. She went back to kissing his stomach as she ran her hand up and down his length, enjoying the sounds he was making from her touches. When his moans started to become louder and his breathing became quicker, she slowed down and made sure her touches were feather light.

Ryuu giggled as she crawled up his body so she straddled him, trapping his length as she kissed his neck and slowly rocked her hips. She released his hands as she ran her nails up his chest and she immediately found herself on her back with him hovering over her, breathing hard. His hands came to her waist and she felt him remove her underwear before he entered her in one thrust, making her cry out. She had forgotten how large he was.

Each move was fast and hard since she had already aroused him close to his release. She gripped his arms that were on either side of her head as she started to meet his thrusts and her entire body felt like it was on fire and felt her release coming close as well. She opened her eyes to see his face and he captured her lips instantly as she felt his body start to shake above her. A few more thrusts and everything went white as she felt her body arch into his chest above her before she felt him release inside her as he buried his face against her shoulder.

When everything became focused again, Ryuu groaned as she shifted under him. He hissed quietly before removing himself from her and laid beside her. She turned her head to him and kissed his nose.

* * *

*****Lemon Ends*****

* * *

"We should probably be a little more careful, now that I think about it," Ryuu giggled. "Don't want me getting pregnant."

"I'll take you to my personal doctor in Amegakure when we arrive before getting you set up at Itachi's," he spoke as he pulled her closer to him and slid his arm under her head.

"What should we do the rest of the day? It's still light outside."

"Did your brother actually leave?"

"He said his team was passing the village and his clone disappeared. He said he wouldn't come after me as long as I sent letters every now and then, but I have not been outside of the room today. How long does it take to get here from Amegakure?"

"Four hours or so."

"Anyway we could just leave today? Since he left, I would like to start traveling so hopefully he doesn't' find me again soon. If he finds out who you are, I don't know what he would do. He might try dragging me back to Konoha, but could try to capture you as well. He is very unpredictable except in his lame excuses when he's late," Ryuu snorted as he watched him. He nodded before he seemed to be staring at the wall for a few seconds before he looked back at her.

"They are on their way now and should be here close to dinner time."

"You can communicate with them with whatever technique you all share?"

"Yes, but it was not necessary. They were watching."

"For how long," Ryuu muttered as she felt her face flush as she sat up. "Will this be regular thing with them?"

"They were just checking up on me, I presume."

"You don't always know when they are seeing through your eyes?"

"No."

"No wonder you are such a pervert. I'm starting to see that it is a family trait," Ryuu snorted as she grabbed her robe and slid it on before standing up. "I may slap them when I meet them on good terms."

"They would deserve it," Pein smirked as he stood up as he followed her into the main room, still undressed.

Ryuu walked out to the springs and let the robe fall from her shoulders before she stepped into the warm water and turned to see Pein step into the water as well. She smiled, seeing the kiss mark on his hip. She moved to the middle of the pool so it was to her shoulders but could still touch the ground and he came to her and kissed her deeply as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She had four hours before she would meet Pein's brothers on friendly terms. Even if they were curious and it pissed her off that they were perverted enough not give privacy and cursed the ability they shared that Pein didn't know when they were watching unless he activated the jutsu himself. Must be a headache to see six different things at the same time, but a great ability in battle so no sneak attacks would be able to work on them.


	15. Chapter 15

Ryuu woke suddenly to a door slamming open and closed just as hard as foot falls entered the main room. After they had bathed, Pein had disappeared yet again so she had just went to bed, not bothering to put clothes on. She slid her silk robe on as she summoned a kunai and moved to the door and opened it silently and sighed seeing two orange haired men looking around.

"And the perverts have arrived," Ryuu muttered and they spun around, kunai in hand. "Honestly, don't you have anything better to do than to watch someone else's sex life? Though it is nice to not be on fighting terms."

"I'm Ando," the shorter one grinned as he moved towards her, but she backed away. "You sure are pretty, but I liked your red hair better."

"Ando, she is not even in the same league as you and brother has already claimed her as his," the long haired one spoke and Ryuu figured that he was Hira. "He really is the most immature of all of the brothers. I am Hira. Where is Pein?"

"You tell me," Ryuu sighed. "He disappeared about two and a half hours ago. All week, he has disappeared randomly for hours and won't say a word about it."

"You're a pretty sight, I wouldn't mind him not appearing for a little longer," Ando grinned and she tossed the kunai at his head as she turned back to her room and closed the door behind her.

She dressed in the tube top she had pulled out earlier and her pants before packing everything quickly into her travel scrolls. She knew Pein was back when she heard Ando cry out as a loud thump reached her and then the door slid open to her room. She glanced over as she pulled her hair into a high ponytail and he came over and kissed her.

"So far, I'm not impressed with the perverted brothers," Ryuu spoke, making him smirk.

"You don't help the situation when you greeted them while wearing a silk robe that revealed part of your voluptuous chest down to your stomach," he spoke as he kissed right below her ear.

"I was more concerned with the fact that they stormed into the room without even attempting to knock. I thought my brother had returned to take me back to Konoha. Blame the idiots in the other room."

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Ando whined as he appeared in the doorway. He had a small cut on his left cheek between the first and second piercing and was holding a back of ice to his head.

"I call it as I see it," Ryuu shrugged as she sealed her scrolls into the silver ring on her right hand that held all her weapons. "I'm ready."

"Several groups of Shinobi have appeared in the village," Hira spoke calmly as he appeared behind Ando.

"This isn't good," Ryuu sighed. "Are they from the fire nation?"

"Yes."

"Damn it," Ryuu growled before pushing past the two brothers in the doorway.

"Where do you think you are going?" Pein stopped her as he appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pinning her arms as well.

"Kakashi must have told Tsunade where I was and asked to retrieve me. I have to get out of the village undetected before they find me. It will most likely be all undercover ANBU that I have worked with the past ten years. I cannot endanger you Pein. If they know who you are, they will try to capture you as well," Ryuu muttered as she struggled in his arms.

"Unless we _'kidnap' _you from your hotel room," Ando grinned. "Zetsu mentioned that father once tried to come after you back in those ruins we ran into you at. Use that to get you out of the village…"

"Or I just sneak out so you don't have to worry about shinobi following you all the way back to Amegakure. Your nation already has enough conflicts with the fire nation, you don't need more in the pretense of kidnapping me. Give me ten minutes and I will be hidden in the forest where even their ninken will not be able to track me. That is where I messed up before, I did not anticipate my brother using his ninken to track every single trail I had led away from Konoha."

"No…"

"You can't stop me Pein, just like when I had killed Buku," She spoke quietly as she used her crystal substitution and appeared at the door. "I'll meet you in Amegakure."

"Ryuu…" Pein took a step towards her and she locked his feet in place as well as Hira's and Ando's before disappearing from the suite.

She walked quickly out of the Moku Springs Hotel and sensed about 6 shinobi around her. She wandered through the busiest part of the town, moving quickly but not fast enough to cause attention if they hadn't spotted her yet. Though she should have just ran when Kakashi appeared in front of her, his Sharingan uncovered and he narrowed his eyes.

"You promised you wouldn't come after me," Ryuu growled.

"Tsunade demands you to return. You have deceived the Hokage and that requires immediate attention," he spoke coldly.

"Not really. I told her I needed time to be able to get myself back together."

"I would believe that but the fact that you bear a kiss mark on your collarbone, you have lied to me as well."

"I'm surprised that you even know what a kiss mark is considering your lack of a sex life," Ryuu laughed, before becoming serious. "I am sorry for this Kakashi, but I cannot allow you to take me back to your nation's leader."

"You talk as if you are no longer a Leaf Shinobi anymore." His voice became cold as she saw anger flash in his eyes.

"Yeah something like that, but I have a previous engagement that I am late for. I would hate to hurt you, but you are in my way," Ryuu spoke sadly as she moved her left leg back slightly as she gathered chakra to both hands, awakening her Kekkei Genkai. "I won't be so careless for shinobi like you to be able to find me again."

She felt the shinobi that blended into the crowd move in and she grinned. Kakashi moved forward but she released dozen of Genjutsu orbs that hit all the shinobi as they tried to move in to restrain her. Kakashi broke through it and lunged at her but was immediately tossed into the crowd of villagers that were now running away from her.

Arms wrapped around her arms and pulled them behind her back as she glanced back and saw Pein through the black cloak that he wore, hiding everything under the large hood. She saw Ando and Hira on either side of her with similar cloaks that hid everything. She focused on Kakashi as he got back to his feet, a kunai drawn but he faltered as his eyes moved to the three men that were behind me.

"Who are they?" Kakashi frowned.

"Couldn't tell you," Ryuu spoke quietly as she let her body go limp against Pein's chest. "I guess… there were others… out there to hunt me down…"

"Ryuu, don't lie to me," He snapped.

Ryuu heard Pein whisper an apology before Hira appeared in front of her and lunged with a blade in hand. She screamed as pain erupted in her chest and she heard a crack of bones. When he stepped back, she looked down and saw a kunai sticking out between two of her lower ribs and felt that he may have actually broken several bones on impact. Pein let go of her arms and let her fall forward onto her side as she coughed and tasted blood in her mouth.

"Ryuu!" Kakashi yelled in fear and she glanced at him her vision started to blur form the pain. "Why do you want her?!"

"She has intangible power. She will be the perfect weapon once we break her," she heard Pein say as she was pulled into someone's arms as darkness finally overtook her and the pain disappeared.


	16. Chapter 16

"Ryuu, can you hear me?"

Ryuu groaned as she felt a headache coming on as she went to move, but her body felt like lead. She instantly became wide awake and looked around. She found herself in a large bed of a dark room. She tried to sit up, but a hand stopped her and gently forced her back onto her back.

"I apologize for the injury, I did not think Hira would actually put that much force into that attack." She turned her head and saw Pein sitting on a chair next to the bed she was in.

"What happened to Kakashi?" she asked quietly, but winced as pain flared up in her lower chest.

"We merely knocked him out. The other shinobi were still within your Genjutsu."

"What did Hira damage? My chest hurts."

"He broke three ribs and managed to pierce your lung. There is a large amount of deep bruising. I healed what I could once we were far from the village, but could not heal your ribs or close the outer part of the wound. The best I could do was close up your lung before you choked on your own blood."

"I've had worse," Ryuu chuckled before wincing as it jarred her injury. "Where are we?"

"A small hotel about an hour beyond Amegakure. Ando and Hira are scouting the area to see if your brother has started to come after us."

"If he had decided to stop before, he won't now that he thinks I had been kidnapped. What now?"

"We head towards Akatsuki's hideout on the border of the Land of Rivers and Land of Fire near the coast. The rest of my brothers and Konon are will join up with us as we move south. A summon to all other members of Akatsuki have been sent out and they will be headed there as well. I won't let your brother take you back unless you really wanted to return to your home," he spoke quietly as he slid his hand over hers.

"For a second… when Hira lunged at me, I actually thought you had lied to me about not taking me to your father…"

"Ryuu…"

"But then I remembered our conversation when you first arrived about how I would learn to trust you when we had been talking about fly trap wanting to hand me over to your father," she interrupted him as she tried to breath normally but winced. "So when the pain hit, I decided I would trust you even if it hurt like a bitch."

"I apologize for that, it seemed to be the only way at that point to make your brother think we were actually trying to capture you for your abilities, not for my want for you," he smiled sadly.

"Quit apologizing Pein, I have already forgive you. It is part of trusting you," Ryuu spoke.

She rolled slightly onto her injured right side before moving so she could prop herself onto her left elbow and Pein moved to make her lay back down but she just narrowed her eyes at him. She looked down at her lower chest and saw some blood through the bandage around her chest. She brought her right hand up to her injury and ripped the bandage off before pressing her hand to the bleeding wound.

"Ryuu, what are you doing?" Pein stood and moved so he was half-kneeling on the bed.

"Hira did more than just break my ribs. I can feel that they are out of place," she whispered.

She summoned her Kekkei Genkai and closed her eyes in pain as she made her crystal surround her broken ribs and a crack echoed around them and she cried out as her ribs moved back into place. She heard a door slam open but couldn't focus on anything other than the pain as she made her crystal jutsu move across her skin and closed off the wound so no more blood could escape easily. As soon as she was finished, she let herself collapse back onto the pillows under her as tears rolled down her face.

"What the hell was that?" she heard Ando near the bed and cracked open an eye and saw him looking down at her, his face showing his horror.

"When my ribs broke, they shifted out of place and already started to heal. I had to break them and put them back into place. Because of my Kekkei Genkai, I heal slightly quicker than normal," Ryuu spoke painfully, her chest stiff now that crystal held her ribs in place until they healed. "The crystal I infused into my ribs will disappear when they heal enough that they won't shift out of place again. I have learned a lot of medical uses for my crystalline abilities over the past several years. Hira is lucky though. I could have easily lost control of the crystal when he attacked me."

"There was neutralizing agents on the kunai I used that shut down your chakra pathways. As soon as it touched your blood, it activated which is the main reason you lost consciousness," Hira spoke as he entered the room.

"There are no shinobi within the immediate area, but I wouldn't doubt that they are too far away. The Genjutsu usually only lasts about an hour or so according to Pein, and Copy Ninja Kakashi didn't get that hard of a hit to the head. If they are tracking us by this point, I'd say they are less than an hour behind us."

"Kakashi can summon up to eight different ninken…" Ryuu rolled over towards Pein and grabbed his shoulder as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. "His tracking skills are no joke."

"What do you suggest to throw him off?" Ando asked as Pein helped her stand up and she whimpered as she stood up straight. "Are you sure you should be moving around?"

"Probably not," she muttered as she summoned her summoning scroll out of her ring and rolled it out across the table. She bit her thumb and ran it across the seals and there was a shatter of glass and an identical clone appeared next to her.

"A clone won't throw them off…"

"This is not just a shadow clone. She has all the basic concepts of a clone and more. She bleeds, wounds won't make her disappear. Only if I call her back to the scroll or death will make affect her. Even if she is killed, her body will stay for up to 24 hours and most nations who kill their enemies dispose of the body within hours of their deaths."

"What are my objectives?" The clone asked calmly and Ryuu nodded.

"Kakashi Hatake is tracking us. Your job is to intercept them and attack them. Do what it takes so they have to kill you before they can interrogate you. There is a failsafe that if they start interrogations, it will kill you instead and release an explosion of crystal."

"Command confirmed. Third mission accepted," the clone spoke before Ryuu summoned a kunai and attacked the clone, breaking the crystal bandage on the clone and she started to bleed.

"Your mission starts now," Ryuu spoke and the clone left the room.

"That seems too easy," Ando frowned.

"I have worked hard to perfect that summoning jutsu. She can only accept two more missions before the summoning scroll will destroy itself."

"What were the other two missions she has completed?"

"I have only summoned her for suicidal missions, both to the unaligned territories east of the water nation."

"You have gone across the ocean?"

"Very troublesome, I wouldn't suggest going. They even get a hint of you possibly being part of the nations, they will hunt you down. Now, we need to get as much distance as we can between us and them."

"Will you know if she is killed?" Hira asked as she pulled on a long sleeved red shirt from her travel scrolls and pulled it on.

"Trust me, you'll know if she is killed," Ryuu frowned. "Hurts like a bitch. Until she is destroyed, our senses are connected. Similar to your ability to share vision with each other, except we share every single one of the five senses except I will feel only a minor chakra drain."

"So when she is killed, you will feel how they killed her," Pein frowned and she nodded as she pulled on her white coat and pulled the hood so her face was hidden.

"That is why it is only has five summons total."

"What would happen if you had summoned all five sealed clones at once?"

"I would have died," Ryuu spoke seriously as she looked at Ando. "Besides, only one seal can be active at a time."

"Let's get going. Konon and the others are nearing our location," Hira spoke before walking out and everyone followed.

…

After a half hour of running through the trees, Pein stopped everyone and Ryuu sagged to the ground against a tree, her hand on her injured side. He knelt next to her and felt her shaking though her hood effectively hid her face. He heard Konon complaining in the distance and groaned. He was going to have a headache the rest of the trip if she kept freaking out, especially when she learns that Ryuu was there and her affiliation with him.

"Stop worrying so much," Hira spoke as he rubbed his head. "Patsu, Asura, and Naraka already have headaches. Asura mentioned that Ryuu would be traveling with us, but not why. That's why she's pissed off."

"Great," Ando groaned. "How are you doing Ryuu?"

"I'm as good as I can be for now," Ryuu muttered as she drank some water Pein gave to her. "I have traveled further with worse injuries. Don't even think of apologizing again, you did what you could in the time you had."

"Why the fuck is that little bitch traveling with Pein?" Pein sighed as he looked in the direction Konon was ranting from before she appeared in the clearing with the other brothers behind her, looking miserable. "Why is she here?"

"Who said you could question Pein?" Ando frowned as Pein pulled Ryuu's arms around his neck as he pulled her back to her feet. Ryuu whimpered painfully and Pein felt her hands clench behind his neck.

"Ryuu?" Pein whispered as she rested her head on his chest, holding onto him tightly.

"Give me a minute." Each word she spoke was laced with pain.

"Is it the sealed one?" Hira asked as he came over.

"No…"

"What's going on?" Konon demanded. "Why are you holding her Pein?"

"She's too stupid to see a relationship, isn't she?" Ryuu muttered as she took several slow breaths as she finally loosened her tight grip around his neck.

"Wh…What…?!"

"Yeah, you know that ruthless interrogation when she was still in Amegakure? It wasn't exactly an interrogation… Ouch!" Ando rubbed the back of his head where Ryuu had tossed the back of a kunai. "What was that for Ryuu?!"

"This shared vision shit is annoying," Ryuu muttered as she let go of Pein. He watched as she unzipped her coat and slid her hand under her shirt to her injury. "The crystals shifted and it tore part of the wound more."

"You're pushing yourself too much," Pein spoke with a slight frown.

"We can't exactly relax until the sealed one is further away. They are taking her back towards Konoha right now, chakra restrains and all. She plans to release all of her chakra, breaking through the restraints, as a show to the entire village that she has lost control and make them kill her."

"Your name will be tainted and if you were ever found alive, they'll put you into the bingo books," Naraka spoke.

"Trust me, I know," Ryuu snorted as she removed her hand form her injury and zipped her coat. "I have given up a lot to be able to gain something that much better."

"Why couldn't the sealed one just live that life for you?" Patsu asked.

"The sealed one explodes after a week if nothing happens to her form. The sealed ones are crystal bombs with a form that looks like its summoner."

"So either way, it will make it look like you have lost control and the power became too great," Naraka frowned.

"Exactly."

"But what will happen to you when the sealed one blows up?" Ando asked and Pein looked down at Ryuu as she adjusted her hood.

"Whether it happens within the next couple days or when the fuse goes off, you will know."

"Time to go," Pein spoke as he pulled Ryuu into his arms carefully and she wrapped her arms around his neck without complaint. "Rest Ryuu. When we stop for the night, we'll check your wound and see what tore while you were running."

"Okay," Ryuu sighed and rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

"Wake up Ryuu."

Ryuu groaned and rolled onto her side but something touched her right side and she screamed in pain as she bolted into a sitting position. She growled as she saw Itachi standing at the edge of a bed with his usual annoyed look as she brought her hand to her injury and felt actual bandages around her injury and was only wearing a black bra. She glanced around and saw two doors to the room she was in, but no windows.

"Where am I Itachi? Why are you here?" Ryuu muttered.

"You are at the Akatsuki hideout near the coast between the Land of Rivers and Fire. Leader told me to check on you," he spoke as he sat in the chair by the bed.

"And where did he to go?"

"Who knows? Leader has a habit if not telling anyone where he goes so only his brothers would know."

"Sounds like him," Ryuu smiled slightly.

"Why are you here and not still in Konoha?" Ryuu laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

"That's a long story, but to make it short… Pein started it."

"So you have defected from the leaf to be a sex toy for leader?" Itachi rose a brow and Ryuu growled.

"That could be further from the truth," Ryuu snapped. "I am here by my own choice. Konoha thinks I defected because I am losing control."

"Killing people for no reason again?"

"Yeah," Ryuu sighed. "When I left Konoha, I took everything with me and rationalized that I would return and explain some things if they overreacted but the last week when I was in the Village Hidden in the Grass, I realized that I had never planned to return no matter how things turned out with Pein. I had planned to come find you and ask you to help me like you did when we were in ANBU."

"You need to finish healing first Ry. Lay back down, you're bleeding through your bandages," Itachi sighed as she laid back down.

"Who stitched me up?"

"Who do you think?" He smirked as he started to remove her bandages. "Though your freak out moments ago tore several stitches."

"What happened to the crystal that had been covering it?"

"I neutralized the outer crystals. Your ribs are still encased. What is happening with the sealed one? Ando informed me that you had released one of the five."

"How long have I been out?" Ryuu frowned as she opened her senses to the sealed one and frowned. "She's just sitting in the ANBU high security facilities. They countered her chakra outburst and I can hear them coming down the hall to take her to her trial."

"It has been almost a week since you arrived. The sealed one going to explode soon?"

"Less than an hour," Ryuu groaned.

"So that's how you were able to get Kakashi to stop tracking your group and to get them to leave you alone."

"Any idea when Pein will be returning?"

"I'll figure that out after I bandage your injury. Do you want Leader here for when the sealed one goes off?"

"To be honest, I don't want anyone here. You've seen it happen enough times, I don't need them to freak out on me like you did the first time, especially Pein. If he's here, then the other brothers will be curious and find out about it as well."

"You think them listening will be any better?"

"I guess not. I just hope they actually kill the sealed one, she's going to try to break the seals they put on her. That pain is more bearable than when she explodes."

"I can seal the room, like I have done before."

"Then Pein will be mad at you if he demands you to let him in the room," Ryuu muttered. "No way to win right now…"

"You are awake I see," Konon came into the room with her eyes narrowed.

"Ahh, the bitch is back for some more," Ryuu chuckled but then whimpered as the sealed one released everything she contained and a sword went through her shoulder. "Shit…"

"What is happening? Why is are you bleeding?"

"Itachi get her out!" Ryuu cried as the sealed one had another sword go into her leg.

* * *

As Pein returned to the hideout, he heard Ryuu screaming and dashed towards the room she had been in. As he reached the hallway, Itachi had thrown Konon out of the room as a blood-curdling scream came from the open door. Pein moved quickly to the room but Itachi stopped him as he closed the door behind him.

"I firmly suggest you do not go in there until the sealed one dies," Itachi spoke as he stopped Pein from reaching for the door handle. "You do not want to see her like this Leader."

"You have experienced the sealed ones before?" Ando spoke as he and the rest of Akatsuki started to appear in the hallway.

"I was her teammate in ANBU and was there both times she summoned the sealed ones. Until the moment the sealed one is killed and explodes, she is connected to her. All injuries the sealed one receives, Ryuu will receive as well."

"So she will die?" Konon asked calmly as she stood up.

"It is a temporary death. Once the sealed one is destroyed, it takes 24 hours for Ryuu's body to absorb the power she had put into it. Once the power has been absorbed, all injuries received by the sealed one will disappear as if it had never happened," Itachi closed his eyes as another scream came from the room behind her. "Besides, she does not want anyone to see what happens."

"Is this why she has been losing control of her Kekkei Genkai?" Hira asked.

"It is only part of the reason. Enemies she kills with her crystals, she absorbs part of the power they once had. The more she kills, the stronger her Kekkei Genkai becomes."

"Move Uchiha," Pein ordered as another scream came from the room Itachi blocked.

"I am sorry sir but I cannot do that…"

"Almighty Pull," Pein narrowed his eyes and Itachi flew into the wall across from the door before entering the room and froze.

Ryuu was covered in blood and the sheets under her were blood-soaked as well. Wounds covered her entire body as blood soaked tears rolled down her wounded cheeks. He glanced at the door and saw Itachi stopping the rest from seeing, his face hardened as he watched Pein's reaction.

"Pl…ease…" Pein glanced back at Ryuu where she sobbed in pain as she gripped her head. "Just kill her… stop torturing her…"

"Ry…"

He was silenced as she screamed again as blood spurt from her stomach as a fist-sized hole appeared. Pein wanted to do what he could to comfort her, but did not know what he could do. Soon, her body arched off the bed as another scream escaped her before she went limp as a hole appeared in the center of her chest and her head fell to the side, her blank eyes staring at Pein.

"Leader, now would be a good time to leave the room," Itachi spoke quietly and Pein looked at him. His eyes were closed as if he was pained. "Hidan will help me clean this up."

"Notify me of any changes," Pein ordered as he glanced back at Ryuu quickly before leaving the room.


	18. Chapter 18

"How is the girl doing?" Kisame asked as he entered the kitchen where Itachi was making several sandwiches.

"Her heart still is repairing itself. Seems like the sealed one had gotten hit by several lightning attacks."

"How can you bear to see her go through that?" Ando appeared. Itachi sighed, he should have realized that the brothers would activate their eyes once Pein had entered the room. "I can't believe Hidan actually got sick when he went into the room."

"He is a wimp," Patsu spoke as he entered the living room that was connected to the kitchen.

"There was too much fucking blood. Jashin would not have been fucking pleased if I fucking touched that," Hidan muttered from the living room. "How could you fucking allow her to have a jutsu like that?"

"It took her several years to create the summoning scroll and the first time she summoned one of them, I did not know what she had created or why. It wasn't until after the first one was destroyed that she told me what it was. I tried to stop her from summoning it again, but she restrained me against a tree."

"That was for your own good." Everyone turned and saw Ryuu enter the room wearing a pair of black jounin pants and a red long sleeved shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a braid and she passed everyone and entered the kitchen and stole one of the sandwiches Itachi had made. "I told you that you would know instantly if something happened to the sealed one."

"Are you sure you should be moving around?" Ando frowned.

"Besides the broken ribs from Hira, I'm fine," Ryuu shrugged and sat at the table as Itachi set a bottle of water in front of her before sitting next to her and ate the other sandwich. "Thanks for the sandwich Weasel."

"I knew you would be hungry," Itachi spoke, slightly irritated at the nickname. "Has leader been notified that she is awake?"

"Hira just told him," Ando spoke after a second. "He is on his way down. By the way, he may try taking that summoning scroll away. We all had nightmares last night."

"Of course you saw," Ryuu snorted in annoyance.

"Leader fucking threw Itachi into the fucking wall when he fucking tried to keep him out," Hidan spoke from the living room.

"Is fucking the only fucking word you know how to fucking say?" Ryuu frowned at the Jashinist. "If so the bingo book needs to be fucking updated to say 'the fucking idiot who can't say a fucking thing except fucking."

"Wow, she has you beat..." Deidara laughed as he entered the room.

"A woman should not be so vulgar," Kisame spoke as he sat next to Itachi.

"And a person should never be blue. If you look like a shark, do you taste just as fishy?"

"I definitely like you better on friendly terms," Deidara spoke as he sat across from Ryuu.

"As long as you watch all of your mouths," Ryuu muttered as she glanced at his hands.

"Who do you not know?"

"Who knows, I haven't met all of you. But it's hard to forget faces in ANBU's bingo book. Sharky is a swordsman, you are a clay bomb user, I've worked with Itachi, there's the Satanist over there and Pein's brothers..."

"It's Jashin, you fucking bitch!"

"Hmm," Ryuu turned her head to stare at the pissed off Hidan before he was completely encased in crystal. "Stupid motherfucker."

"Patsu, Ando, summon everyone." Pein appeared in the living room and didn't even glance at Hidan as his eyes locked onto Ryuu's and she gave him a small smile before going back to her sandwich.

"A group meeting to know why we were all summoned, ya?" Deidara asked and Pein nodded once.

"Ryuu..."

"I'm eating," Ryuu interrupted, knowing he would want to talk after seeing how her body reacted to the summoning scroll.

"Hey, what would have happened if the sealed one just expired without being killed?" Ando asked and both Itachi and Ryuu grimaced. "You said that they were pretty much bombs... So if you feel and gains everything that happens to the sealed one, would you explode like a bomb?"

"Thankfully no," Ryuu spoke quietly. "But the pain is 10 times more intense, which is why I order them to do whatever it takes to be killed before they expire. But it still becomes a temporary death."

Pein walked forward and pulled Ryuu from her seat as she yelped in surprise. She tried fighting him and pull her arm out of his grip as he started to drag her out of the kitchen, but was unsuccessful. Everyone just watched the two, slightly surprised at how violent Pein was in making Ryuu go with him. Ando gave a small laugh as he shook his head while Patsu disappeared to summon the group.

* * *

"Let me go Pein, your hurting me," Ryuu complained as she continued to try and remove her arm from his grip.

"This should be nothing compared to what you have felt before," his voice was cold and Ryuu stopped trying to fight him and sighed.

"I did say what would happen when the sealed one got attacked..."

"But you forgot to mention the fact that you die!" He spun on her and she saw anger in his purple-grey rimmed eyes.

"Temporary..."

"I watched you die, Ry! I saw the wounds appear across your body... The holes in your chest..." His voice became quiet and he averted his eyes. "I saw the life disappear from your eyes as you died... And I could do nothing to help you..."

"Itachi did try to prevent you from seeing that and you threw him into a wall," Ryuu muttered as she leaned against the wall of the passage they were in. "Itachi was scarred enough the times he witnessed the deaths of the sealed on. He had nightmares for months. I didn't want anyone else to know just how horrifying it is to have such an extensive clone jutsu."

" I want you to destroy that scroll," Pein ordered.

"It's not that easy Pein. Until I summon the last two, the scroll cannot be damaged even if it was put into a fire. That and to gain back 2/5ths of the chakra I put into the jutsu I don't know what could happen to the control I fight to have," Ryuu spoke calmly.

"Then give it to me so I can lock it away."

"No."

"Why?"

"I cannot tell you," Ryuu spoke quietly as she looked away from him.

"Why can you not tell me?" Pein snapped as he slapped his hand against the wall next to her head and she flinched.

"Some secrets should never be revealed." Ryuu closed her eyes and lowered her head to the ground.

"Are these secrets dangerous for you?"

"Only if the truth was uncovered."

His arms came around her waist as he buried his face against her neck and Ryuu sighed. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and relaxed. She still felt pain in her body from being hurt by Hira as well as soreness from recovering from the sealed one dying, but all that disappeared as she relaxed in Pein's arms.

"Did you have to pull me out of the kitchen so roughly?" Ryuu asked calmly and he chuckled quietly. "They don't know your soft side, do they?"

"Hn." He stepped away from her with a small smirk as he kissed her brow.

"Everyone has gathered," Hira appeared around the corner. "Several are not happy for having to wait this long to know why they had been summoned."

"Take Ryuu in. I'll be right there."

"Very well." Ryuu sighed as Pein disappeared down the hallway and turned to face Hira who waited. "How are your injuries?"

"Tender," Ryuu spoke truthfully as they slowly walked back towards the kitchen. "Where does he go when he disappears randomly and not tell anyone? He did it several times when we were in the Valley Hidden in the Grass."

"He disappears for many reasons, but none of them are things my brothers or myself are allowed to say. Give it time and brother will talk to you more, but for now, expect him to be colder around the others or to ignore your presence completely."

"I figured that out already. Comes with keeping a certain demeanor as a leader. How bad did he react when he saw...?"

"He hasn't slept yet, fearing the nightmares that the rest of us have had. He may not show it well, but he does care greatly for you in the small time you have been together," Hira spoke before walking into the living room.

There were thirteen people sitting around the large table in the dining room and Ryuu frowned seeing the shell of the former Sunagakure puppet master of the red sand. She had crossed paths with him once and managed to break through the shell he wore so no one could tell who he really was. Hidan was still encased in her crystal Genjutsu on the couch and Ryuu released him as she sat down next to Itachi.

"Kurisutaru of the Crystal clans," Ryuu wanted to disappear as she glanced over at the puppet user at the end of the table.

"Sasori of the Red Sands," she spoke coldly as she acknowledged him. "Should have realized you weren't dead after that fight four years ago."

"Amazing that my poison did not affect you at all."

"Benefit of being a Kurisutaru, I happen to be immune to most poisons."

"But Hira..." Ando frowned.

"He did not use poison on me. He used a medical neutralizer that stopped me from losing control. Two completely different uses. And Venus fly trap over there was just unlucky that I was immune to the tranquilizer he tried to give me."

"We are Zetsu," the fly trap frowned.

"Your point? Dress like a plant and I'll call you a plant, just like shark boy over here."

"Ryuu." She turned and saw Pein enter the room. He placed a folded up cloak in front of her and set a ring on top of it that the kanji for dragon on its surface. "Our newest member. Teams will not change for the moment. The next assignments will be announced this afternoon. Itachi, you will start working with Ryuu if she is healed enough to start training."

"Yes leader," Itachi spoke calmly.

"You are dismissed for now," Pein spoke before disappearing.

Ryuu sighed as she slid the ring onto her right middle finger. All the members of Akatsuki slowly disappeared from the room, but Ryuu made no movement to get up. Itachi stood and touched her shoulder and she looked up.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"My body is still recovering from the sealed one. Everything is sore and my chest feels tight. It's difficult to breath normally with the pain of my broken ribs."

"Maybe you should rest then. If Kisame and I are not called out for an assignment, we can start tomorrow on training."

"That sounds fine. Is the room I woke up in mine?"

"No. Since the sealed one had been summoned. We put you there so that any blood could be cleaned up without the worry of unpleasant memories later on. Come, I'll take you to the room Leader said will be yours."

"Why did you never say goodbye after the Uchiha Massacre?" Ryuu asked quietly as she stood and held her Akatsuki cloak in her arms while she followed Itachi down the halls.

"You were away on a solo mission."

"You knew where I had gone. You could have come my way when you left and explain so I didn't have to listen to the lies the past several years," Ryuu muttered.

"This is your room." Itachi stopped outside a set of double red oak doors. "Whether I am called out on an assignment or not I'll be back close to midday to check on your injuries."

"Fine," Ryuu spoke annoyed at how often he changed subjects on her. She watched him walk back down the hall they had come before turning and entered the room she had been given.


	19. Chapter 19

I own nothing from Naruto.

Please Read and Enjoy!

* * *

There were no windows, but she expected that considering it was a hideout; instead there was plenty of light from the lamps around the room. There was a dresser on one side of the room while a queen sized bed was on the other side. There was a large couch across from the door with a small bookshelf full of books. Ryuu noticed two more red oak doors and went to explore them, the door by the dresser was a walk in closet that had a couple sets of cloths but it was pretty empty and the other door led to a large bathroom that had a walk in shower and a large Jacuzzi tub that was in the ground.

She turned on the hot water to the tub and slowly started to undress around the soreness of her body. She was glad that she knew how to hide her pain and lie easily about it, but she couldn't just stay in bed when she had first woke up after the sealed one had been destroyed. She whimpered as she pulled her shirt over her head and it slid over the healing injures.

The center of her chest and stomach were red and indented still since they were still healing. She knew if she looked at her back there would be identical marks. She removed the bandages on her side as she turned off the water before stepping into the tub. It took several pain filled seconds of lowering her body into the hot water before it finally started to dull as the heat of the water started to work on her sore body.

"I thought you had finished healing." Pein entered the bathroom and Ryuu glanced at him for a second before looking away as she moved to the far corner of the tub and rested her back against the edge.

"I said I was fine, not that I was completely healed," Ryuu sighed.

"How much pain are you in?" Pein spoke as he sat Indian style near the edge of the tub.

"Obviously in not too much if I can hide it easily."

"Ryuu…"

"I'm fine Pein, will you stop being so over-bearing and let me relax?" Ryuu snapped as she looked at him. "I have gone through this several times and this was the least painful one. I know you're attempting to help, but only I can get my body to finish recovering."

"Why did you create that summoning scroll to begin with?"

"The Third and Fourth Hokage actually helped me start it. They were the ones who helped me gain control. The idea of the scroll was so that I could slowly gain back what power I put into the scrolls instead of just going on uncontrollable rampages. None of us knew the consequences of a sealed one dying, every time we practiced summoning them, I just summoned them back into the scroll. It wasn't until Itachi and I was on a mission that we realized the full darkness behind even created the scroll."

"Ryuu, come here." Ryuu sighed and moved so she was right next to Pein, wincing as her body protested. Pein leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her gently. "Stop pretending everything is good when every movement is painful."

"I've taken care of myself most of my life that it is just how I am."

"You're here now. Akatsuki will take you in like a family. You don't have to do it alone anymore."

"I'm still learning that," Ryuu smiled a little. "So where do you go when you disappear all the time?"

"Several of Akatsuki tend to irritate me so before I end up killing them..." He shrugged as she moved back to the center of the tub.

"You go vent it out?" She finished and he nodded. "Okay so what about when we were at the hot springs? No Akatsuki there to irritate you so what's your excuse there?"

"You're dangerous to be around, and all too tempting. It made it hard to think when I was around you. I kept thinking of how I would convince you to just stay by my side without kidnapping you, but that last day when I had it all planned out, your brother had already shown up and you had already chosen," he spoke calmly as he leaned back against the counter by the tub. Ryuu hummed in response as she started washing her long hair. "Would you explain why you are so adamant about not allowing me to keep that scroll?"

"I can't risk that. There is just too many people who could be listening, whether through your eyes or some other jutsu. I can't ever risk even mentioning it. I wish I could tell you because I trust you, I just don't trust anyone else and with this, I cannot afford to."

"It's that dangerous?"

"I have found a way to cheat death and you ask if it's dangerous," Ryuu snorted bitterly, not even looking over at the man that drove her crazy. "There is always adverse effects to something as extensive as cheating death so easily."

"It is still hard to understand how you could have put that much chakra into something to be able to cheat death five times without yourself completely dying."

"The Third and Fourth Hokage said that I had power to rival a Jinchuuriki over 4 tails. When we first started making the scroll it was just supposed to seal an amount of chakra so once I gained control of what I had I could work on gaining more control slowly and not lose control of what I already had. I started messing with the scroll once I was going out on ANBU missions with Itachi and made the first clone bomb, but I hadn't realized what I had created. We stayed in the forest while the clone did reconnaissance and was out there a week...

"When the pain started, I was so confused. I thought that I had messed up the jutsu somewhere and I'm sure I gave Itachi a heart attack. The pain and screaming didn't stop for several hours before everything went dark. Since we were across the waters, Itachi didn't know what to do and hid my body. When I woke up, he fainted on me then had explained I had been dead for the past 24 hours or so. After I has recovered enough to be able to move, we headed to where the clone had been when I died and there was nothing there except a giant crater in the ground and buildings had exploded away from the epicenter and bodies where everywhere, torn apart from crystal and the fire. Another had come to investigate the place and I tried to block a simple attack and ended up killing him. That was when I realized that I had gained back a portion of the chakra from the sealing scroll so Itachi started working with me intensively when we were out on missions and even in our spare time."

"I see."

"Pein, father is here." It sounded like Hira on the other side of the closed door. "He demands that you go meet with him. Seems like Konan had been talking about Ryuu being in the compound when he arrived and he's furious."

"Your family sounds so homey," Ryuu snorted in irritation and heard Hira laugh.

"Should have seen us when father was still leader," Hira called before she heard him walk away as Pein got to his feet quietly.

"What do you think will happen?"

"You'll leave with Itachi on his mission this afternoon while I take care of it. Hira brought you some clothes to hide your identity and when Itachi comes to bandage your side and you'll leave with him and Kisame," Pein spoke as Ryuu stood and rinsed off while he held a towel for her.

Once she had the towel wrapped around her body, he kissed her on her brow before leaving the room without another word. Ryuu just sighed quietly as she grabbed another towel and wrapped her hair in it so it wouldn't drip down her back. In the other room, Hira and Itachi were sitting on the couch waiting.

"Today sucks," Ryuu muttered as they watched her calmly. "I should have just stayed in bed when I woke up."

"Besides the fact that you get restless when doing nothing, you would have been sorer if you remained in bed," Itachi spoke and Ryuu remained silent, knowing he was right. "Your bag is in the closet. Put something on so I can bandage your side before Hira helps you into the clothes Leader brought for you."

"Should I be scared?" Ryuu asked, eyeing the bag at Hira's feet.

"I would be wary if I were you."

Ryuu went into the closet and found a black bra and a pair of shorts that went to mid though and slid them on, groaning as the movements put strain on the stitches but was able to dress herself. Once back in the other room, she sat on the couch by Itachi while towel drying her hair as he started to smear an ointment over the stitched wound before bandaging her side. Hira didn't say a word as he stood and grabbed the bag at his feet before pulling her back into the closet, ignoring her complaining.

The first thing he handed to her was a pair of pants that had binding up both sides so it would reveal the outsides of her thigh and once she had removed her shorts and slid them on over her underwear he handed her a black undershirt that only covered her breasts but had an elongated color similar to Kakashi's undershirts and the sleeve went to her wrists. Then he pulled out another top which was red and a corset style that stopped right below her ribs. He helped her put it on before pulling the strings in the back just tight enough that it wouldn't budge but not too tight that it would hurt her injured side or affect her breathing.

"You're oddly quieter than usual," Ryuu commented as he slid some red fingerless gloves over her hands that went to her elbows and had strings to tighten it from her wrists to her elbows.

"What is there to say? Brother had me come to help you get dressed while he deals with father. Nothing else..."

"Whether you came by choice or not, you are still quieter and acting stranger than I have seen," Ryuu sighed as he helped her slide on the Akatsuki cloak which was styled slightly different than the others. It seemed to fit her almost perfectly and two slits on the sides went from her hips down to her calves where the cloak ended. "You don't think that this will make me stand out more than usual? Not even blue-haired bitch's is practically tailored to her."

"Her sense of fashion isn't all that great compared to what you would think. She has been raised around six brother-like figures, she doesn't really care about details like you would."

"I just dress how I like though Pein did okay choosing this," Ryuu shrugged as Hira came behind her and started running his fingers through her hair. "What are you doing?"

"You may have changed your hair color, but your style did not. We need to figure out a style that will work to make you not stand out as much if you ever run into that Copy-Ninja." Ryuu frowned, not liking the fact that she was getting pampered so much and crossed her arms as she stood in front of him as he worked on her hair. "There."

Ryuu glanced in the mirror and just stared. Hira had left her bangs so they hung into her eyes but her long hair had been French braided in a 'n' shape starting from the base of her neck and went around her head separating her banged before going back down into a braid down her back. Hira walked out of the closet and Ryuu followed, leaving the collar of her undershirts around her neck, knowing that the reason behind it was to hide her face but she didn't feel like hiding it yet.

"We'll have to look at colored contacts eventually," Itachi spoke as he stood and came over to examine her. "Your eyes are one of a kind and since Kakashi has been around you for a while, he would definitely recognize you instantly."

"All of this just so Kakashi doesn't recognize me," Ryuu huffed, slightly annoyed.

"You started this by leaving the village that raised you."

"What about you? You were born into one of the bigger families."

"There are many reasons why they just let me disappear without tracking me down."

"I'm technically pronounced dead so what does it matter?"

"Leader does not want to take any chances on them ever learning that you were still alive. If they sent a team to hunt you down in the first place, they would do it again if they found that you were alive," Itachi spoke. "Kisame is waiting for us and he is not a very patient man."

"Fine," Ryuu muttered, feeling the silver ring that had her scrolls sealed away on her right ring finger next to the Akatsuki ring Pein had given her before sliding the mask into place and followed Itachi and Hira through the halls of the hideout to meet Kisame.


End file.
